Dawn of the Moon
by Skye Valkyrie
Summary: The lives of four girls are turned upside down when the wheels of destiny begin to turn. A story of how having magical powers thrust upon you is not all fun and games; sometimes, the danger is all too real.
1. Lost Heart

_**Chapter One: Lost Heart**_

The serene early Monday morning in a particular residential area of Azabu-Juuban, Tokyo was usually a favourite moment of Yoshika Jun's. It signified the start of the week; the beauty of it hinting at happy days to come. Even the full blooms of her garden that she devoted almost all her time to were in agreement. Nothing could prevent what she acknowledged would be a beautiful start.

A shrill scream coming from her opposite neighbour's house seemed to want to challenge her.

Jun shook her head, sighing and pushed back the brim of her sun hat that had fallen over her eyes. Only the poor Tsukino girl was capable of such loud antics in the early morning. There was hardly a school week that the girl wouldn't wake up crying of her tardiness at least once. With an amused smile on her aging face, Jun returned to tending to her garden.

Fifteen minutes barely passed when the front door of the Tsukino residence burst open with enough force to draw Jun's attention. She stood up, peering over her gate to watch Tsukino Usagi stumbling out the door with an anxious look on her young face.

Her middle-school uniform screamed of lack of ironing, the black of her shoes was dulled with dirt and her light brown hair had only been roughly brushed and pulled into twin tails that were held up high on her head in buns. In Jun's eyes that had seen half a century's worth, there was nothing special about the fourteen-year-old girl. She was a little shorter than average, was more interested in playing than school, the oldest of two in a well-rounded nuclear family, and terribly prone to tripping over her own feet.

"Ah, _obaa-chan_! Good morning!"

Usagi had stopped outside her front gate, her mad dash to get to school on time momentarily forgotten as she waved to Jun, a wide, cheery smile on her innocent face.

Jun smiled to herself. Nothing special, save for being possibly the sweetest girl she had ever met.

"Good morning, Usagi," she greeted back. "Late to school again, I see."

The girl laughed sheepishly. "I overslept."

"Then you better get going." Jun shooed her playfully. "You don't want to start such a beautiful day on a bad note."

"You're right," Usagi cried out. With another wave, she began to run. "See you later, _obaa-chan_!"

"Have a good day at school," Jun called out after her. "Be careful, okay?"

Whether Usagi heard her or not was an irrelevant worry when the flurry of legs in the air and a loud wail became her responses as Usagi rounded a corner.

Jun leaned over the gate even though Usagi was no longer in view. Her expression had turned forlorn as she thought to herself, "So sweet, yet so lost."

* * *

Usagi sniffed, wiping her eyes that were beginning to water, as she pressed one palm against her hurting chin. Her knees were lightly scrapped and bruised, and her right wrist was sore from when she had reach out to stop her fall—it had only served to lighten the impact of her chin hitting the pavement. Despite what Jun had said to her, her day had already started out badly and it seemed to be continuing down that path already. Why should she bother anymore?

With a sigh, she finally stood up. She'd been having days like this ever since she could remember, and still moved on, so why change now?

A small meow behind her caught her attention. On the ground, a small black cat writhed as if in pain.

"Oh no, kitty!" Usagi knelt down and gingerly scooped the cat onto her lap. "I'm so sorry. Are you okay?"

As far as she could tell, she didn't seem to have caused the animal any major injuries from tripping over it. There were, however, a couple of adhesive bandages stuck to its forehead that the cat was pawing at.

"Kids nowadays," Usagi grumped, reaching out to remove the bandages, "getting meaner by the years. Just like Shingo. Ow! Hey, kitty! I'm trying to help here."

After a short dance of finger versus claws, she braced the pain and quickly pulled off the bandages. Immediately, the cat stopped fighting her, going limp in her arms as she carried it to face level.

"What's this?" Usagi mused aloud. "A crescent-shaped bald spot?"

The cat merely fixed her with an intense stare that was unlike anything she'd ever seen.

"Ah, damn. I don't have time for this."

Setting the cat aside and giving it a pat as she rose to her feet, Usagi ran off down the road, hoping against false hope that her first period teacher would suddenly decide to be late.

* * *

Usagi sighed dramatically, clutching her growling stomach as she and her best friend, Osaka Naru, made their way to the open courtyard for lunch. Today was definitely not going well for her.

"Oh, don't exaggerate, Usagi," Naru was saying. "It wasn't that bad."

Usagi glared. As much as she loved her best friend, there were times when Naru's positive outlook and constant good grades were not the least wanted. "Easy for you to say. You didn't arrive late to school, get lectured by Haruda, find out you failed last week's test and end class with a two-page translating assignment due in two days!"

Naru pretended to ponder about her rant, running her fingers through her shoulder-length dark hair. "I don't believe it was just you who got that assignment." At Usagi's unspoken threat of falling into tears, she reached over and gently patted her back. "There, there, Usagi. We can work together on that assignment if you want."

"Naru!" Usagi threw her arms around her appreciatively. "You're always so good to me."

As Usagi continued to tack on praises of how good, kind and understanding Naru was to her, they finally found a relatively empty bench outside on the side of one of the school building blocks. Almost every student of the school must have had the same idea to enjoy lunch period under the sunny early summer sky. Usagi's mood even began to lighten the longer she stayed under the sun.

But when they got close enough to identify the single bespectacled male student occupying the bench, she forced herself to keep the oncoming gag an internal one. Umino Gurio irritated her. Despite his intelligence, he had a strange habit of flitting from clique to clique among her classmates, boasting about his test results and general knowledge of random facts. It didn't help that he had a tendency of running into her mother and spilling all things test-related, especially when her results were bad.

"Hi, girls." Umino slid aside to give them space to sit. "What took you so long?"

Through clenched teeth, Usagi replied, "You know what happened, you little—"

"Usagi," Naru warned.

With a huff, she withdrew and began the process of methodically, but earnestly gulping down lunch.

"Hey, did you hear?" Umino's voice grated through her like cold lightning. "There was a robbery at a jewellery store last night."

"Really?" Naru asked. "What happened? Was anybody hurt?"

Despite her best efforts, Usagi leaned in to listen.

"Apparently," Umino began, happy to have captured their attention, "it happened just as the store was closing for the night. Three armed robbers ran in and started threatening everyone and demanding jewellery and money."

"That sounds terrible," Naru said.

"But no one got hurt," he continued. "Someone fitting the description of Sailor V came in, took out the bad guys, and ran off, all in the space of mere minutes."

"Wow, her again?"

"Who's that?" Usagi asked, her mouth still full of rice.

"You don't know who Sailor V is?" Umino replied, looking shocked.

She didn't bother to hide her scowl. If she asked that, of course she didn't know. There was no need to emphasise it.

If Umino was bothered by her expression, he didn't show it—though Naru tried to nudge it away. "For the past few months, there've been sightings of this masked vigilante in sailor-like uniform saving people from those weird attacks that have been happening lately—I'm sure you know about _that_—and sometimes foiling the common criminals. Young female, long blond hair and stunningly beautiful were descriptions used by witnesses."

"You mean the weird occurrences where groups of people were found unconscious and had to be hospitalised for several days?" she clarified. "How are they attacks?"

"Well, rumour has it that the victims have been claiming that _monsters_ attacked them, draining them of their energy. And Sailor V was the one to destroy the monsters."

"Huh." She frowned. "My father never said anything about that. And he's a journalist."

"Police don't really want stories of monsters to be running about," Umino explained. "But it is a pretty serious situation. A relative of mine got caught in one of those attacks last month. He said it was like being suffocated to death."

"Oh." Usagi winced. "That sounds bad."

"He's okay now?" Naru asked.

He nodded, adjusting his glasses. "Thank goodness for Sailor V. The title Guardian of Justice suits her, doesn't it?"

Usagi bit on her chopsticks, tuning out the rest of the conversation. Something was gnawing at the back of her mind; a feeling of familiarity she couldn't place. There was something about the name Sailor V that called to her.

* * *

School had ended, and Usagi was loathed to go home. Staring at the red '30' that marred her test paper, as if that was enough to miraculously change the number, she slowly made her way past shop lots, drawing on the time until she had to return home.

She got bad results frequently. It was now at the point where her mother would get angry, scold her, and the whole ordeal would be over and forgotten in half an hour. She knew she disappointed her parents, she knew she wasn't as dumb as her results claimed, but she lacked motivation. Something was always holding her back, but never telling her why. It frustrated her to no end.

"Screw it," she mumbled, crumpling the paper and throwing it over her shoulder. "Nothing'll change with this one paper anyway."

"Hey, watch it."

With a jump, Usagi turned around, ready to apologise for her rash action. The apology became stuck to her throat when she saw the young man a few years older than her with a mop of black hair peering into her test paper.

"Looks like you need to study harder, _odango-atama_," he said, smirking as he handed the paper back to her.

She glowered, snatching it from his hands and hoping it gave him a paper cut. "Mind your own business. You shouldn't be looking at people's test papers anyway."

He shrugged. "You threw it away. One person's trash is another man's treasure."

"How's this supposed to be treasure?" she practically snapped at him.

He grinned. "It amused me. I never thought I'd ever see such low marks."

"Screw you!" She turned on her heel and stomped away as fast as she could, doing her best to forget the rude encounter that only served to darken her already sour mood.

As she came across the Game Center Crown, she decided to go in even though it was getting late. A few rounds playing a game at the arcade wouldn't hurt. Besides, seeing Furuhata Motoki's handsome face was sure to lift her spirits.

"Usagi, how's it going?" Motoki greeted her with a friendly smile she liked to pretend was only for her and was different to the smile he gave the other customers.

"All better now." She grinned back.

He frowned in concern. "You mean it was bad before."

She shook her head. "Nothing that can't be cured with a good game with Motoki-_oniisan_."

"All right then," he said cheerfully, leading her toward a game machine. "We got this new game last week that's based off this Sailor V person. It's been really popular and it's really good, and no one's playing it now. I think you'll really like it."

The game turned out to be interestingly challenging. As Usagi made her character dodged and attacked random monsters on Motoki's direction, she found herself calming down and enjoying herself, losing track of time. Suddenly, she felt something furry wrapping itself around her legs.

Screaming, Usagi shot back, toppling over the stool she was sitting on.

"Usagi, are you all right?" Motoki reached down to help her up.

Rubbing the back of her head and grumbling about her second fall of the day, Usagi peered down at the thing that had shocked her.

"It's the cat with the crescent-shape bald spot from this morning," she said in surprise. It hissed at her and she shrank back behind Motoki, taking only partial appreciation at his touch. "Why do you have a cat in the arcade?" she asked Motoki.

He sighed. "It's been wandering around the shop for the past few days now. I tried to chase it out but it always comes back. It hasn't bothered anyone before, so I didn't think too much of it."

A shiver ran down Usagi's back as the cat levelled her with another intense stare. Eager to take her leave of it, she decided it was time to go home.

* * *

It was now night time, and Usagi was lying lazily on her bed, too depressed to be bothered with homework. As expected, her mother had yelled about her grades for all of ten minutes, she'd apologised, and dinner was served. It wasn't that she wanted her mother to yell at her more. Rather, she was depressed because she knew their disappointment could be easily averted.

But it was easy only in the simplicity of the act, not in the effort that she could not bring herself to exert.

A cool breeze blew through the opened window of her room, tempting sleep. Something landed on her stomach and jumped off. Usagi shrieked, scrambling toward the corner of her bed to put as much distance between her and the crazy black cat as she could.

"What the hell, kitty?" she exclaimed, though not expecting an answer.

"I have a name, you know," it replied in a disapproving, feminine voice. "My name is Luna."

"It spoke! Oh my god, it spoke!" Usagi clutched her chest, trying to keep her frantic heart in check.

"How rude." It—she—continued to speak, escalating her level of terror. "First you say I have a bald spot; now you're treating me like an unintelligent species."

"_You are a cat_," Usagi cried, enunciating every word in response. "I must have fallen asleep. That must be it. I'm dreaming."

Ignoring her mumbles, the cat stepped up to her with a serious gaze. "Usagi, I have been looking all over for you. There's something I have to give you."

A small, round brooch appeared out of nowhere between them. Despite her fear, Usagi couldn't help but admire the mysterious shining object. Picking it up, she tenderly caressed it between her fingers.

"You have a great magical power within you, Usagi," Luna continued when she looked to be more accessible to the cat's words. "That is your Transformation Brooch; use that to unlock the powers to protect the innocent and fight evil."

"Fight evil? Me?" Usagi laughed, waving it off. "That's ridiculous."

"You don't believe me?" Luna challenged. "Shout 'Moon Prism Power, Make Up' then."

"Why? It sounds silly."

"Just do it."

She yelped at the cat's strict tone, then, grumbling under her breath about having to listen to a cat, did as she was told. There was a bright flash of light, and—

"Nothing happened," she said to Luna, almost smug.

Just as smug, Luna replied, "Go look in the mirror."

Usagi almost screamed again when she saw her reflection. "What the hell is this? I'm _blonde_!"

"That's what caught your attention?"

Reeling in the shock of her hair colour—which didn't look bad on her anyway—Usagi looked over the rest of her reflection's appearance. Besides her hair, nothing of her physical looks had changed. Her attire, however, was a whole different matter. Her casual shorts and tee had been replaced with what looked to be a modified version of a sailor school uniform. A blue skirt wrapped around a white leotard with a striped blue collar and light yellow shoulder pads. There were red bows on her chest and at her back; the brooch now rested on her chest bow. Boots, gloves and a tiara were among the final touches of her strange, new look.

"I am definitely dreaming," Usagi murmured. Accepting that fact, she turned to the cat. "Okay, so now what?"

"You are Sailor Moon," Luna started. "Your job—"

"Yeah, yeah," she interrupted. "Let's skip to the best part. What magical powers do I have?"

"Magical powers," Luna sputtered. "Usagi, you did not become Sailor Moon just to play with your powers."

"Oh, you're such a nag." Usagi climbed onto the window sill, a sense of courage accompanying the strength she felt in her heart. Somehow, she truly believed that she could make it to the fence in a single leap from the window. Oh, the exhilaration of a lucid dream!

Ignoring Luna's lectures, she took a deep breath, and jumped. Realistically, the distance wasn't that far. An athlete probably wouldn't even need a running start to reach the fence, though it was something that Usagi, awake, could never accomplish. But as Sailor Moon, the jump was effortless. Her landing and accuracy, however, was much to be desired.

The toe of her boot only managed to touch the edge of the fence, but her body continued to fall forward. She had overshot her target. With a short scream, she twisted her body, breaking her fall on the soft of her bottom.

Cursing the third fall of the day with angry tears, she climbed to her feet, rubbing her backside.

"Usagi," Luna called from the window, "I'm not done with you."

With an impish grin, she waved and ran off, delighting in the speed at which she ran and the ease at which she leapt from building to building. It didn't even take long for her landing to improve.

Finding herself in the business district, Usagi slowed down on the rooftops, admiring the view at the new vantage point. People still roamed the streets, though many times less than during the day. She caught the sight of Naru walking into the local cinema with her mother.

She huffed. "Movie on a school night? Must be nice to be rewarded for having good results." Then she smiled. "Good for you, Naru."

"Usagi!"

She jumped back with another scream. "How did you get here so fast? Are you a super cat too?"

"Usagi, this is serious business," Luna chided.

"Oh, give me a break," Usagi moaned. "This is my dream. If I want to play, I'll play. If I don't want to stop jewel thieves, I won't."

"Jewel thieves?"

She pointed at the jewellery store that stood next to the cinema, noting the unusual flashes of light that shone behind dark windows. "Apparently, my dream wants me to play superhero."

"Then shouldn't you go stop them?" Luna demanded.

"And get shot at? No thank you. Even in a dream, that's scary."

Before Luna could retort, screams sounded out from inside the cinema building. Usagi ran to the edge of the rooftop, trying to peer into any openings to the building. Her anxiety heightened as she thought of Naru in trouble.

"What's going on? Luna, what's happening in there?"

"Use your mask, Usagi."

"What mask?" Her plea became redundant when the object in question appeared in her hands. Without thinking, she placed it over her eyes, watching as the view faded through the walls of the building and portraying the unconscious bodies inside. In one corner, Naru was trapped between the wall and an inhuman-looking creature, her struggles weakening.

"Naru!"

"Sailor Moon, let's go!"

Usagi looked back at the cat, then, with a determined nod, ran in to help her friend.

"Let her go, monster!"

The creature dropped a now unconscious Naru and turned around with a growl. Though humanoid in shape, it had claws instead of fingers, its hair flared as if alive, and its face was distorted into a demonic expression.

"Eww…" Usagi was suddenly rethinking her decision.

"Who are you?" the creature demanded in a low, inhuman voice.

_This is a dream, this is a dream_, Usagi reminded herself, trying to shake off her fear. With a steely voice and deciding to have some fun in her dream, she exclaimed, "The Guardian of Love and Justice, Sailor Moon."

The creature burst into a demonic laugh that sent shivers down her back. "I have never heard of you. Now you will regret disrupting a _Youma_ of the Dark Kingdom."

Moans reverberated throughout the building. Usagi pressed her hands to her mouth to stop herself from screaming as the unconscious people began to clamour to their feet, and crawl out of theatres, shaking and swaying like zombies. She didn't bother to stop herself anymore when they began to attack her.

Shrieking, Usagi dived out of way of an attacking person, barely avoiding the broken glass bottle he held in his hands. She gasped at the pain and blood forming on her hurt knee.

"What's this?" she cried. "It actually really hurts."

"Sailor Moon," Luna shouted. "You have to fight."

She could feel herself starting to cry again. Even in her dreams things would not go well for her. In her hesitance, one of the controlled victims managed to wrap his fingers around her neck, and began to squeeze. Her eyes bulged; fear overwhelmed her and she suddenly forgot how to move. Her vision dimmed, pain kicked in and brought her out of her shock.

"Sailor Moon!" Luna came into view, biting at the man's hand. Someone else began to roughly pull her away, while another reached for Usagi.

With a scream, she kicked at her attackers, barely noticing that they flew away from her from a force that should not have come from her. Somehow, she got free, but was now cowering against the wall, a hand to her throat.

_Oh, god, oh, god._ She clamped her hands over her mouth, shaking so much she could barely see straight. Luna was by her side, yelling at her, but she was in too much fear to hear what she was saying. Her ears were thundering and her heart threatened to jump out of her chest. She whimpered when she saw that the creature was now advancing toward her.

"I can't do this," she whispered. It was just a dream—no, a nightmare—but she couldn't even be strong. What was wrong with her? Why was she just so weak?

As she curled up upon herself, cursing herself for her weakness, high pitched sounds blasted from the ornaments in her hair. The moans stopped, replaced by pained yells.

"Don't cry, Sailor Moon. Now's the time to attack."

Usagi blinked at the unknown voice. Looking up, she saw that the controlled people had collapsed and the creature was on its knees, hands over ears. The unknown voice called to her again, warm and comforting. She could feel strength building up within her again.

"Sailor Moon," Luna called, "your tiara!"

As if in a daze, Usagi reached up to the tiara on her head. Somehow, she just knew what to do. Removing the tiara, she willed it to power up, and threw the glowing weapon at the creature.

"Moon Tiara Action!"

She watched in awe as the attack worked, causing it to disintegrate into nothingness.

A man stepped into her peripheral vision, striking a dashing vision with his caped tuxedo and mask. In a voice she recognised the be the one that had called out to her before, he said, "I didn't find the Silver Crystal I was looking for, but something more fascinating has appeared."

Usagi's heart jumped.

"My name is Tuxedo Mask," he introduced himself with a kind glint in his eyes. "I'll be sure to remember you, Sailor Moon."

* * *

Usagi sleepily opened one eye, trying her best to glare in her half-wakened state at the opened window that was currently allowing the bright morning rays of the sun to land on her. Her alarm hadn't rung, but she knew it was a time earlier than when she would have to wake up for school.

For a while, she lay unmoving on her bed, recalling the vivid dream she had the night before. Talking cats, Sailor Moon, Naru and monsters…

Tuxedo Mask.

She smiled. Of course the man that would steal her heart could only appear in her dreams.

Finally, she reached over to her bedside table to check the time on her mobile phone. It was six-thirty in the morning. Usagi groaned; it was far too early for her to be wide awake. Then, noticing that her inbox had an unread message, she opened it curiously.

'Usagi! Something fascinating happened to me last night! You have to come to school early today. I can't wait to tell you all about it!'

She frowned. The message was received just after midnight, from Naru. It was then that she finally noticed the small, black lump on the rug at her bedside. The cat yawned, and peered up at her.

"You're up early," it commented.

"It wasn't a dream?" Usagi screamed. She glanced down at her knee; it was almost healed, but it was a clear sign that the deep gash she'd 'dreamed' last night was real.

"Are you still whining about that, Usagi?" Luna sighed. "Now that you have proof of your powers, you have to understand your duty of upholding peace and fighting evil."

Usagi wrapped her arms around herself, trying to calm the rising fear that was taking over. It was all real. The danger was real. She had nearly gotten herself killed last night!

"Why did you come to me?" she asked quietly. "I was a normal girl. I had a peaceful life. Why'd you have to search for me and ruin everything?"

"Usagi, you were chosen for this."

"Why did I have to be chosen?" She raised her voice. "Why me? Don't I have any say in the matter?"

"But you have the power," Luna argued.

"Then take it back. I don't want it."

"I can't do that."

"Yes, you can." Usagi slammed her fists on her bed, though it didn't create the impact she desired. "I was normal before I met you. I didn't have any powers until you gave them to me. You gave them, so you can take it back."

"You've always had the power within you," Luna said. "I merely provided you with the tools and knowledge to bring it out."

Usagi was sobbing now, hiding her face behind her knees. "Why? Do you know what you've done? Do you know the dangers you're putting me into?"

Luna's tone shifted from disapproving to sad. "I'm sorry, Usagi. I know it must be difficult for you. You're so young, and yet you're forced into a deadly battle. But the enemy is coming, Usagi, an enemy that only people with guardian powers can fight. People like you and your fellow Guardians that we have to find."

Usagi didn't reply, refusing to raise her head. The cat wasn't sorry for putting her into this life; there was no point in trying to guilt her for wanting to drag other innocent people into this.

"Usagi, your best friend Naru was a victim of the enemy last night."

She froze.

"You saw the creature; somewhere in your heart you know bullets won't work on it."

_Shut up, cat_, she thought.

"If you hadn't shown up, Naru might have died."

_Shut up!_

"The enemy won't stop. Naru may get caught in the crossfire again."

_Shut up!_

"If you're not ready—if you don't stop fighting your destiny—there'll be no one who can save her. Can you risk your best friend's life, your family's even, for your own safety?"

Usagi lifted her head, glaring at the cat through tear-brimmed eyes. She was confused, she was angry, and most of all, she was scared. Finally, she knew what it was that was holding her back. She was relieved to have it solved, yet she didn't want any part in it. The thought of fighting, of facing powerful enemies terrified her.

But the thought of losing her family and Naru when she had the power to save them terrified her most of all.


	2. Empty Water

_**Chapter Two: Empty Water**_

The throne room was dark, shadows reflecting on every surface, emitting a fearsome aura of strength and darkness. The young man stood at attention in the centre, dressed in a grey militaristic garb with red brim, his fair head one of the very few sources of colour in the large room. Behind him, at the far end of the floor, his three brothers-in-arms awaited their turns.

At the head of the room, on a lavish throne of dark gold and jewels, sat their leader. Taller than any woman he'd seen, with lush dark hair and a demonic beauty, Queen Beryl was a fearful commander. Though she sat casually on her throne, resting one elbow on the armchair and leaning her chin against an open palm, she still exuded a threatening air despite the calm look.

Jadeite kept his eyes downcast, trying to keep his uncomfortable shuffling to a minimum. Queen Beryl almost seemed to be taking delight at his uneasiness. He was to report on his achievements in his appointed territory of the Far East; the first failure of several months of work was not one he could look forward to.

"Jadeite, my sweet," Queen Beryl purred sultrily. "Is there something you wish to tell me?"

"My queen," he stammered. "Forgive me, I have failed you. Not only have I not found any sign of the Silver Crystal, my latest work at stealing human energy for our master was disrupted."

Queen Beryl raised an eyebrow. "Whatever could have disrupted you? Don't tell me you were pathetic enough to be foiled by the weaker and more pathetic humans?"

"She,"—he was beginning to find it difficult to form words—"she called herself Sailor Moon."

"Sailor Moon?" She laughed. "What's that? Another ant?"

His legs were weakening.

"You, a general of the _Shitennou_, were foiled by an ant?"

He dropped to one knee, bowing his head in deep regret. "I have no excuse."

Her laughter stopped and the silence was deafening. For a long time, no one spoke, no one moved. Even his brothers and rivals behind him held their breaths. Finally, Jadeite dared to look up. Queen Beryl's face was expressionless; then, she smiled wickedly.

"Give it a go," she suggested, deceptively forgiving. "If I find it entertaining enough, I might let you live."

He took a deep breath, and attempted his best. "My queen, it was but a mere interruption by a puny little stupid girl who caught us unawares with her foolish antics and ridiculous outfit. I could tell she was inexperienced, a wretched excuse of a soldier. I will not be interrupted by her again."

He waited. Time seemed to pass even more slowly than before.

Finally, Queen Beryl shrugged. "Well, the insult was entertaining, at least." With a wave, she dismissed them. "Go, all four of you. You have work to do."

Jadeite bowed as he retreated back to his fellow generals. A silent nod of relief passed between the four of them as the worst of the day seemed to be over.

The haunting voice of their commander pierced their backs as they left.

"Don't fail me again, my sweet boys."

* * *

The school gate was just a block away; Usagi could see the silhouettes of the schools' two thousand students sauntering into their respective buildings. Azabu-Juuban Municipal School had one of the largest campuses in the city, holding both its middle and high school lectures in separate sections of the campus. As it was the case, students of the two levels hardly saw each other aside from general events and at the school's main gate. However, there was no mistaking the more mature-looking uniform of the high-schoolers with their dark blue, almost black, shades and fitting form.

There was still time before the school bell rang. Usagi looked around her; when she was sure there was no one nearby, she bent down to finally acknowledge the black cat that had been following her the past few days.

"You have to promise that you won't enter school grounds again today, Luna," she said tiredly. "Do you know how much trouble you gave me yesterday?"

Luna tilted her head to the side. "So you're speaking to me now?"

Usagi clenched her fists and gritted her teeth. "You know, I didn't have the heart to throw you out of my home because I didn't know if you had a home. But don't tempt me."

Luna sighed. "I don't know why you're so hostile to me. I'm only looking out for you since you refuse to train with me. What if you run into the enemy?"

"Look, I've already said I'd fight if I come across them again."

"But without training, _or_ listening to my teachings, you'd be at a severe disadvantage. Especially if you don't quickly find your allies to back you up."

"One step at a time, okay, Luna?" she finally snapped, losing her temper. "And shut up about the allies. I'm not letting you bring others into this stupid fight. Now, stay here. Or go away somewhere. I'll be fine at school."

Usagi barely made it through the school gate before the first bell rang. By the time she reached the back door of her classroom, she was already prepared for another lecture.

"Tsukino-_san_, late again." Haruna-_sensei _—or Haruda, as Usagi'd nicknamed her—looked ready to release a stream of scolding, but then thought better of it, and waved her away. "I don't have time for this. Quickly, get your things ready."

"Eh?" Usagi wanted to know more, but decided Naru would be nicer in telling her. As she put her bag on her desk and pretended to dug around for items she didn't know she need, she leaned over to her friend. "What's going on? Why's everyone still standing about?"

"Usagi," Naru chided, "weren't you listening to anything Haruna-_sensei _ was saying in homeroom yesterday? We're having a half-day excursion to the high school building."

"Why?"

"It won't be long before we're in high school. You realise it's very different there, don't you?" Naru pointed out the notebook and pen she was supposed to bring along. "So since our middle school is closely connected to a high school, it's a good opportunity to have us look around at how they do things there and sit in on one of their classes."

"There's still, like, two years, isn't there?" Usagi threw her hands up in the air, and slumped over her desk. "I don't need the stress of high school and their difficult subjects to add to all these."

"Tsukino-_san_! I said get ready, not sleep!"

* * *

The first time Usagi had seen the inside of the high school building was nearly two years ago, when she'd come with her parents to the school's open day. Though Juuban Municipal middle schoolers still had to take entrance exams into its high school, they were guaranteed a place if they performed as well as required.

Usagi hovered behind the rest of the class with Naru, in awe at how different the building looks. There were many more noticeboards around the hallways, all filled with posters about various clubs, newspaper clippings of the students' regional and national achievements, research papers, trophies and exhibitions. It was like a whole different world; a whole different expectation.

Haruda was at the head of the group, accompanied by a teaching staff of the high school department. First was tour of the building, though the students were constantly reminded to keep their voices low. After that would be a sit-in in a tenth grade's classroom in the period before lunch period.

They came upon a noticeboard listing the total grades of tenth grade students in a recent term exam. Usagi breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that there were students who still received grades like hers in high school. But her eyes widened as the numbers began to increase. At the end of the board, a level away from the rest, someone had obtained full marks in the finals.

"Naru," Usagi whispered fiercely, pulling on her arm and bringing them to a stop. "Full marks! That means a hundred per cent on every paper! Is that even possible?"

Naru looked at where she was pointing excitedly. "Wow, that's really impressive."

"Mizuno Ami," she read.

"Mizuno-_san_?" Naru exclaimed, surprised. "It's no wonder, then."

Usagi looked up at her quizzically. "Why?"

"Don't you know anything about your own school?"

Usagi giggled, clinging onto her arm. "That's what I have you for."

"Mizuno Ami is known as the genius girl of our school," Naru said. "She always gets the top score in mock national exams."

"Always?"

"And that's not the best part. She skipped two grades; she's actually our age."

"No way!"

Naru nodded enthusiastically. "They say she's actually smart enough to enter university, but her mother wouldn't let her."

"What parent wouldn't let her child enter university?" Usagi wondered. "If I were her, I'd be boasting to all my adult friends about my genius daughter."

Naru shrugged. "No one knows why. She never talks to anyone."

"How'd you know all this?"

"Remember that friend I'd told you about that I grew up with? The one who's a couple of years older? Rui."

Usagi nodded, though she had no idea who Naru was talking about.

"Well, she's in the same class as Mizuno-_san_," Naru explained. "Earlier this year, she was telling me about her new high school classmates. She said it's sad to see such a cute girl have such a cold personality. Mizuno-_san_ is always studying, and doesn't seem to be interested in making friends."

"That is sad," Usagi agreed.

"Oh, no," Naru suddenly said.

"What?" Usagi's heart jumped. An enemy?

Naru peered up and down the hallway, looking worried. "I think we lost the rest of the class."

"Oh my god, really?" She quickly covered her mouth, though her shrill cry was already reverberating throughout the hallway. "What do we do?"

Naru quickly thought about it. "We were heading down this way; if we follow the main path we should come across them eventually."

"Naru, you're so smart! What'd I ever do without you?"

Naru smiled, and patted her head. "I really worry about that sometimes, too."

Despite how logical Naru's suggestion was, they found that there were many different paths that the rest of the class could have taken. After ten minutes of wandering the silent hallways, it was time to admit that they were lost.

"Naru…" Usagi whined, dragging her feet behind her friend, who still insisted on walking about.

As they turned a corner, they nearly ran into another student.

"Excuse me," the girl said, stepping back.

"No, it was my fault," Naru said. "I'm sorry."

With a nod, the girl moved to continue on her way, but then stopped, and stared at them. Usagi watched the girl from behind Naru's back. Notwithstanding her long-sleeved uniform, the air of maturity she seemed to exude was a clear sign that she was a high school student. She was a little taller than the both of them, and her blue-black hair was short and neat, free of any childish adornments. A pair of spectacles hung from her collar, and she held a thick, heavy-looking book in one hand. Usagi swallowed when she realised the title was in English, and the only word she recognised was 'Advanced'.

"You two are middle schoolers," the girl said. It wasn't a question.

"Yes." Naru smiled nervously. "Our teacher had brought us over for a tour of the high school section."

The girl didn't say anything when Naru didn't continue. Usagi considered asking her for directions but the awkwardness was overwhelming. Even Naru seemed uncomfortable at the empty look in the other girl's eyes.

"Well, please excuse us." Naru took Usagi's hand, leading them down the hallway.

"Why don't you try your mobile phones?" the girl suddenly said.

"I'm sorry?"

"Call a classmate. Let them know you've lost the group and set up a meeting point."

"Oh…" Naru gasped. "You're right! Why didn't I think of that?"

"Yeah, why didn't you?" Usagi asked. Her answer was a flick to the forehead, and then she was left alone with the girl as Naru took out her phone and walked away.

When she didn't leave immediately, even though her presence was still unnerving, Usagi thought that she must be a nice girl to wait to be certain that they would be all right. She decided to try to make small conversation.

"So, what's that book about?"

"Classical mechanics."

"Uh… Is it about cars?"

The first emotion that seemed the cross the other girl's face since meeting her was confusion. She seemed at lost on how to answer that. "Partially, I guess."

Usagi internally celebrated at the—partially—correct guess, and at replacing that empty look with some sort of expression. She laughed, embarrassed. "Looks like I'm going to be in trouble when I enter high school."

For the first time, the girl smiled gently. "Don't worry. You get to choose the subjects you take in high school. And it isn't as difficult as you'd think at this level."

Usagi happily returned the grin. "Really? Thank god."

"Usagi, it's settled." Naru returned. "We're meeting them at the second floor faculty office. Let's go."

"Oh, okay."

"Thank you, _sempai_," Naru said, pulling Usagi away.

"Thanks!" Usagi waved, then turned to Naru. "What's the rush?"

"That's Mizuno-_san_," she whispered. "Doesn't she give you the shivers?"

"I think she's kinda nice," Usage said. Then a thought occurred to her. "Hey, Naru?"

"Yeah."

"Do you know where the faculty office is?"

Usagi yelped when Naru abruptly stopped, causing her to stumble over her own feet to avoid crashing into her back. Reluctantly, Naru turned around, the tension in her face not abated when they saw that Mizuno Ami was still standing where they'd left her, watching them. While Naru's footsteps were heavy, Usagi was practically pulling her along, a sheepish laugh escaping her.

"I was on my way to the faculty office," Ami said when they were close enough. As an afterthought, she smiled softly. "Would you like to follow me?"

_Definitely not as cold as they say_, Usagi thought.

* * *

Usagi's stomach was starting to growl in hunger, and she quickly wrapped her arms around it, glaring.

The tour had ended an hour ago, and they had been split into four groups so as not to create a large crowd for the sit-ins. In the class she was in, there were four empty seats and she had been quick enough to claim one in the back, sharing with Naru. The slower four—Umino included—were forced to stand behind.

The subject the class was having was mathematics; her vision was already swirling with the infinite number of foreign equations and symbols. Usagi had already long given up on trying to reflect on her understanding of high school life as was their task for the excursion. She'd just copy Naru's notes and base her essay on it.

Idly, she turned to her left to study the student next to her for the fifth time. Wasn't Mizuno Ami supposed to be this genius, studious girl?

Ami wasn't taking notes, and she certainly wasn't listening to the teacher. She held a tablet in her right hand, deftly tapping on the screen with her left, not even bothering to hide the act from the rest of the class. No one, especially the teacher, seemed to care. Not even when she would put down the tablet, remove her glasses, and stare out the window for minutes.

If Usagi dared try anything of the sort in Haruda's class, she would have her head.

Her curiosity getting the better of her, Usagi quietly tore out a page from her notebook and scribbled quickly on the piece of paper, before folding it and tossing it onto Ami's desk.

Ami blinked, picking up the paper as if it were a bomb. She turned to Usagi, who prompted her to unfold it. For a genius girl, she was taking a long time to read four little words.

Usagi quickly read the reply to her 'What are you doing?': 'Physics.'

'Isn't this maths class?'

'I am going through extra work from outside lessons.'

'Won't you get scolded?'

'They are used to it.'

Usagi whistled, impressed. Naru quickly shushed her.

'Must be nice, being able to do whatever you want in school.'

'I can't do whatever I want. There are limits to what they'd allow me.'

'What's the worst you've done that usually gets other students in huge trouble?'

'What kind of question is this? Are you usually this forward with people you just met?'

'Aren't you doing the same thing?'

'I sometimes speak my mind.'

'That's something we have in common.'

Ami smiled as she wrote her reply.

'There was one teacher who bored me even when I wasn't listening. I didn't think so but a classmate told me my yawn was large and loud enough to stop the teacher in his tracks.'

Usagi snorted, then immediately apologised to the looks of annoyance turned on her. Noticing the glare that the mathematics teacher was levelling on her, she ducked her head, sneaking her arms over to hide the paper. Naru sighed, and Ami went back to her tablet.

When class was almost over, Haruda quietly gathered the four groups together, reminding them of their essay and let them off just as the lunch bell rang. Before leaving with Naru, Usagi peered into Ami's classroom. She was still playing with her tablet, nibbling on a sandwich.

"Usagi, let's go," Naru called.

"What're you looking at?" Umino stepped up next to her. "Oh, Mizuno-_san_. It's envious, isn't it? The leniency the school gives her because of her intellect."

"I thought they didn't allow tablets in school."

"That's just not any tablet," Umino replied in a know-it-all tone. "It's a Crystal Seminar-modified tablet. You can't play games on it, so the school allows it."

Usagi frowned. "If you can't play games on it, then what can you do?"

"Study. There are interactive apps on it that test you and help you learn, and loads of e-books on various school subjects."

"Yuck."

"Don't dismiss it so easily, Usagi," Umino said. "All the students who enrol into Crystal Seminar get good grades. Always ninety per cent or higher. At least, that's what it says on the flier."

"I need that," she mused, reminded of her latest report card.

"Forget it, Usagi," Naru said as she pulled her away. "Crystal Seminar is known for its expensive fees. You'd have to be rich to even think about it."

"Uh-huh." Umino fell into step beside them. "There are only a few students in our school who are enrolled. They're all children of doctors, politicians, lawyers and successful businessmen."

Smart, rich _and_ pretty. Some people had all the luck.

* * *

The school day was over, and while students were eagerly spilling through the gate, looks of irritation were frequently directed to the lone girl standing firmly behind the gate, partially obstructing their escape.

Usagi ignored them, her eyes firmly set on the invisible line that bordered the outside world. The cat was somewhere out there, if not already waiting to greet her. She had not had the chance to run into any monsters since the first time, but now, every newspaper article, every gossip, seemed to scream a supernatural source in her head. She could forget all about that in school, but once she stepped out, the reality of her situation almost came crashing back.

Usagi suddenly realised there was another pair of shoes next to hers. Curiously, she peeked up through her fringe and started when she saw who it was.

"Mizuno-_san_!"

"Hello." Ami's response was clipped and monotonous, yet smooth; her tone neutral, without a hint of emotion. There was not a crack of smile on her lips, a spark of light in her dark eyes, a crease in her fair skin. Her stare was neither intense nor curious. When she decided to smile later on, it did not reach her eyes. "Well, goodbye."

"Wait!" Without thinking, Usagi reached out for her arm, then gasped when she roughly pulled away. A little hurt, but trying not to show it, she said, "I'm sorry. Did I hurt you?"

Ami gingerly rubbed her right arm. "No. I…reacted instinctively. I apologise. Goodbye…"

"Tsukino Usagi," she quickly introduced herself.

Ami nodded. "Take care, Tsukino-_san_."

After a while, Usagi exhaled exasperatedly and stepped out of the school bounds, trudging reluctantly on her way home. It wasn't long before she realised that the familiar-looking back a few steps in front of her belonged to Ami. She'd never noticed her walking the same path home before.

Without realising that her pace had picked up, Usagi was startled when they were suddenly side-by-side. She bit her lip, looking everywhere but to the person to her right. Ami noticed her, but didn't say anything.

Suddenly, she burst into an awkward laugh, causing Ami to jump slightly. Looking concerned—a reaction that seemed to bring some joy in Usagi's heart—Ami asked, "Are you all right?"

"Oh, yes, yes. No need to worry." Usagi's voice was shrill from both excitement and embarrassment.

Ami merely nodded, and returned to look straight ahead.

"So," Usagi began awkwardly, "are you on your way home?"

"No, I have a class later this evening."

"At that Crystal Seminar Umino was talking about?"

"I don't know this Umino-_san_, but yes."

"Wow." Usagi tilted her head. "Aren't you tired from all that studying? I struggle to even do my homework at night even though I sleep most of the time in school."

That got a light chuckle out of Ami.

"You could say that what I do is akin to sleeping from the teachers' perspectives."

Usagi snorted. "Yeah, the difference is, in your dreams, you're studying."

"I don't think of it as studying."

"You're reading a book that only has big words and numbers. How is _that_ not studying?"

"Because I'm not reading it to pass exams," Ami said, as if the answer was obvious. "They're very interesting knowledge to gain."

"Wait. What?"

"Aren't you the least bit curious about how the universe works?"

"Um." Her first thought was 'no'.

"I am," Ami continued without waiting for an answer. "I am very interested in how every little thing works. That's why I'm reading so much now. I won't have time once I enter medical school."

"It's already certain you can enter medical school?" Usagi gushed.

Ami looked away. "I'm sorry. That sounded quite arrogant of me, didn't it?"

"Not at all," Usagi cried adamantly. "I think it's so amazing that you want to be a doctor and that you have to confidence to do it. I don't even know what I want to do when I grow up."

"Don't worry," Ami said kindly. "A lot of people don't know what they want to do even when they're already adults. I guess I am fortunate enough to have a strong role model in my mother."

"Your mother is a doctor?"

"A prosthetics engineer."

Usagi blinked. "A what?"

She was beginning to feel dumber than she usually did. But if the genius girl was annoyed by it, she didn't show it.

"She does good things for hurt people," Ami said proudly. "So, yes. She's like a doctor."

They continued to chat happily as Usagi was finding herself enjoying Ami's company more and more. Though the other girl was still unusually expressionless, there were traces of emotion—amusement, curiosity, tenderness—that Usagi would find if she looked at the right time. It came to be that she realised she was the cause of those expressions—the tiny smile, a raised eyebrow, a change in intonation—and she enjoyed the warmth it brought her.

Ami stopped, and Usagi realised that they were in the business district, the Game Center Crown only two shops away from the building they stood in front of.

Usagi was visibly disappointed when Ami pointed out they were at Crystal Seminar.

"We have to talk again like this soon, okay?" she practically pleaded.

Ami nodded, slowly at first, a genuine smile on her face.

But Usagi hardly noticed, her focus brought to the black cat crouched on the awning above them. A small hiss escaped her lips when the cat pounced, prompting Ami to follow her gaze.

"Angel," she whispered in a daze, stretching out her arms to allow the cat to land on her.

Settling on her arms, Luna leaned her front paws on her shoulders, her face close to Ami's. Usagi was seething when she recognised the same intense stare Luna had given her days ago now directed at Ami.

"No," she gritted.

Ami blinked, breaking eye contact with the cat to turn questioningly to Usagi.

"Luna, no," Usagi repeated, barely containing her anger.

A haughty 'meow', and Luna leapt from Ami's arms, running into a nearby alley. Usagi chased after her, her anger and despair clouding her vision. Luna was waiting for her atop a dumpster, settling herself at eye level.

"I won't let you do this," Usagi immediately said, her voice low and shaky.

"The wheels of destiny are already turning," Luna replied enigmatically.

"Don't give me that crap! Mizuno-_san_ wants to be a doctor! She wants to heal people, not fight your monsters."

Meeting her glare, Luna replied, "You don't seem to understand that this is what you—_and_ your allies, including Mizuno Ami—were born to do. You were born with these magical powers. And you have a duty to fight the evil that taints this world, to protect the people of this world."

"And I said I'd do it all myself," Usagi was almost shouting. "You don't need to involve other people."

"The enemy has hundreds of minions. You are but one person. A young, inexperienced, stubborn cry-baby. _Can_ you do it by yourself?"

"If I prove it to you, will you leave Mizuno-_san_ alone?" Usagi whispered.

Luna didn't reply immediately; when she did, it was with heavy reluctance. "I'll think about it. But I assure you, I only want the best for you in this situation. And that means having allies."

Usagi didn't have the strength to argue anymore. Keeping her head down so that Luna wouldn't see the tears flowing down her cheeks, she turned on her heel and stalked out the alley. In her haste, she didn't see the figure standing almost behind her.

"Hey, careful." The man stumbled back. "What, it's you again, _odango-atama_."

"Shut up!" Usagi yelled at him. "Stop calling me that. It's not even a funny nickname!"

He leaned back unintentionally, either shocked at her outburst or the fact that she was crying. Usagi roughly pushed him aside, using her sleeve wipe the tears away. Aversed to facing her family at the moment, she decided to walk into the arcade and spent some time supressing her despair away with a game. Motoki's greeting lifted her spirits somewhat, and his company when she played with the Sailor V game was greatly appreciated. At one point, Motoki left her to talk to the annoying man who he seemed to be friends with, but returned soon enough, leaving him to curiously study Luna, who had also ventured into the building.

"Usagi, wake up." Motoki's gentle shaking roused her from her nap. He'd been kind enough to let her have the seat behind the arcade's counter. "We're closing now."

Usagi peered sleepily at her phone: Eight-twenty.

"Oh my god, it's already this late?" she exclaimed, taking note of the five missed calls from her parents.

"I hope you don't mind," Motoki said. "When I saw that it was your parents calling, I answered for you. You were sleeping so peacefully after looking so depressed today, I couldn't bear to wake you. But they were quite understanding."

"Oh, that's okay." Usagi offered a small smile. It appeared that she didn't hide her depression as well as she'd thought even at home. "Thank you."

As she got up, she noticed that the area was empty of customers save for herself, Motoki and the annoying guy.

"I thought you normally close later than this," she recalled.

"Yeah, well,"—Motoki scratched the back of his neck—"a curfew has been called out for all late-night events involving large groups of people. There seems to be some sort of attack going on that weakens the victims to near death. It's a scary thought, isn't it?"

"They're calling it attacks now?" She hadn't realised that it had gotten bad enough that the police relented to the truth in just a few days. Usagi could feel the colour draining from her face. She could have prevented that. She could have saved those people!

He nodded. "You should return home quickly."

Outside, away from the views of the two guys inside, Usage closed her eyes and slapped her cheeks, willing herself back to strength. Maybe…maybe she could try training… Images of that first night flashed across her mind, the rising fear immediately curbing that thought. _Pitiful._ Her self-deprecation was short-lived; Luna came darting from the front of the Crystal Seminar building, screaming, "_Youma_!"

_Ami!_

Her heart sinking, she ran over to the front door, cursing when it wouldn't open. A keybox at the side demanded that an ID card be scanned. She slammed her fists at the door, calling out for the receptionist that was nowhere to be seen. She could hear the muffled screams coming from the building.

Luna returned to her side. "There's an opened window at the side of the building."

She sprinted around the corner, spotted the opened window and took out her brooch.

"Moon Prism Power, Make Up!"

It was an effortless leap to the third story window once transformed. She ran through the hallway, glancing through open doors to see unconscious students slumped on the floor, unmoving. A scream directed her to the room she needed.

Shock rooted her to the spot, temporarily hindering thoughts of action. The creature tossed aside a young woman as if she were a rag doll, picking up another younger girl. Ami struggled against the claw at her throat, her efforts weakening by the second. She must have injured her right arm because it hung limply by her side.

"So much energy," the creature howled. "What glorious energy."

Suddenly, its gaze slid to her and recognition filled its demonic eyes. "You!"

"Me?"

"I was warned to keep a lookout for you."

"Well… Here I am. Come get me, you ugly demon!"

Instead of dropping Ami and coming after her like she'd wanted, the creature merely waved a clawed hand in her direction. Loud rustling sounds filled the room, and Usagi screamed, dodging the onslaught of flying hardened papers, cutting like glass.

* * *

Ami was fighting to breathe, much less stay conscious. Everything had been quiet and peaceful during the Advanced Physics lecture that the sudden screams that sounded throughout the building stunned everyone to their seats. As the screams stopped and started in quick successions, room doors slamming open, getting louder as it became clear that the attack would soon reach her classroom, people began to react and panic.

By then, it was too late to escape. The demon had entered the room, its sheer presence weakening everyone in the knees, as if stealing their life energy. It didn't need physical contact, but it seemed to enjoy the act of violence. And for some reason, it seemed drawn to her the moment it saw her.

Nothing Ami did was enough to deter the demon; her desperate kicks went unnoticed. Through blurry vision, she saw someone at the door, crying out as objects she couldn't make out surrounded the person.

The demon returned its attention to her, laughing maniacally.

Ami's eyes began to flutter shut just as something dark flew above her, reminiscent of the black crow she had years ago regarded to be her saviour, her angel.

The demon cried out, releasing her. The fall hurt, but nothing felt better than the cool air she could finally take in. Still gasping desperately, she tried to crawl away, only to be obstructed by the dark object thrown onto the floor in front of her.

The black cat, Luna.

It winced—such a human expression—struggling to get up. Ami reached out to help, but was forced to curl onto herself in pain when the demon stomped onto the back of her leg.

"Where do you think you're going, human?" It spat.

"Ami. The pen."

_The cat spoke_!

Nevertheless, she reached for the strange pen that had manifested out of thin air, her mind in too much confusion and shock to question anything. A familiar, yet absolutely odd sense of power surged through her being when she clutched the pen that—realistically—shouldn't alter her circumstances one bit. Her strength returned; her mind refocussed.

She knew what she had to do.

* * *

Usagi ducked and swerved, using any opportunity bring out her tiara. But there was no limit to the number of papers under the creature's control. In the corner of her eye, she could see Luna jumping onto its head, clawing fiercely at it. It was enough to stop the paper attacks.

"Luna!"

Her eyes widened when the creature grabbed Luna and slammed her to the ground with enough force to cause serious injuries. She removed her tiara, ready to attack, when suddenly, a thick fog covered the room. She could still see the creature, though it acted like it had been blinded.

With a flick of her wrist, the glowing tiara cut through the creature like a razor, causing it to disintegrate.

A sigh of relief barely passed her lips when someone grabbed her from behind, pulling her off to the side. There was a flash of light and the fog parted briefly where she had stood moments ago.

Strong, gentle arms wrapped around her waist protectively; a soft voice by her ear pointed out the new enemy.

A young man stood not far from her, dressed in a dark grey militaristic uniform. With his short blond hair and uniform, he posed quite a handsome look. But the dark anger on his face marred the view.

"Sailor Moon," he seethed. "And you, Tuxedo Guy."

"Tuxedo Mask," came the calm response.

Usagi spared a glance up at the masked man holding her, her heard thudding rapidly. Twice, he had helped her in the fight against the enemy. Was he an ally?

"I will kill you both!"

She dove to the side, parting ways with her protector, the skin where he had hold her feeling usually colder. She pushed the thought aside and countered the other man's attack. He was quick enough to dodge it.

As she prepared to attack again, the fog lifted.

"Three of you?" He looked ready to attack again, before reconsidering. With a sneer, his body began to shimmer away as he spoke, his tone full of venom. "Mark my words, I, Jadeite of the Dark Kingdom's _Shitennou_, will get you next time, Sailor Moon."

Usagi turned to Tuxedo Mask, but he was already gone, leaving her with so many questions unanswered.

"Sailor Moon?"

She turned to the source of the voice. Among the clutter of desks and unconscious bodies, a girl stood with Luna in her arms, her dark blue hair highlighted under the moonlight from the window. She was dressed in a similar uniform, albeit in a single shade of blue and sleeveless.

At first, Usagi couldn't recognise her; her facial features were unfamiliar, almost alien despite how human she looked, yet so very much vague and there was a strange sense of unidentifiable recognition. But when she realised that there was only one person that could possibly stand there looking very much like a Guardian, the unfamiliar features broke away.

"Ami." She couldn't hide the sadness in her voice. Even though she'd only known the other girl for one day, she was already feeling like she'd betrayed her.

Ami gasped, covering her mouth. "Tsukino-_san_? Is that you?"

She nodded.

Ami dropped her hand, her expression serious.

"We need to talk."


	3. Untold Truths

_**Chapter Three: Untold Truths**_

Jadeite leaned against the wall of an empty strategy room, his arms crossed, his features set in a contemplative stance. His next mission strategy meeting with his subordinates was to start in less than an hour, but his thoughts were still clouded with the appearance of the unknown Guardian opponents. He'd never heard of them before until last week, but their interference had twice been a success on their part, despite their obvious lack of coordination and experience.

This Sailor Moon; despite her tendencies, her power was formidable indeed.

Then there was the masked man; Jadeite fumed at the lack of data on him. He had yet to show any signs of magical abilities, but there was an air of superiority in him that he couldn't deny.

And then another Guardian showed up; empty eyes that studied him, observing everything that was him.

He had to destroy them. Before more appeared. Before Queen Beryl demanded his presence. Before his honour as a _Shitennou_ was absolutely crushed.

He noticed the presence of one of his brothers in the room before he even showed himself. Nephrite stepped out from the shadows, the amber trim of his uniform signifying his leadership over the North American territory.

"Such a calm demeanour does not befit you, young Jadeite," Nephrite remarked teasingly.

Jadeite briefly flicked a look of annoyance at the older General.

Nephrite cocked his head curiously. "No temper tantrums?"

He scowled, moving over to the round table to review the map of his past missions. Though the search for the Silver Crystal was still unfruitful, energy-stealing missions had been very successful in the southeast countries of Earth. But the human population there was small compared to the mainlands of China and Japan. He had to concentrate his attacks in those two countries in order to meet his energy quota to avoid Queen Beryl's attention.

Yet the Sailor Guardians in Japan was becoming a significant problem. There were even a couple of incidents in China that required his attention. His subordinates were strong, but they were hardly intelligent enough to conduct investigations. He was undecided in what he should do; finding the Silver Crystal first would redeem him in Queen Beryl's eyes, but not meeting the energy quota again would cost him his life. And then there was his personal vendetta against the Sailor Guardians who had humiliated him so.

He would have to change his tactics if he wanted to fulfil all three objectives.

Nephrite slid himself onto the table, covering a portion of the map. Jadeite glared up at him, ready to strike down a hundred insults. He paused at the look on Nephrite's face.

"Regulus," he said carefully, "is one of my best soldiers. But I have no need for him at the moment."

Jadeite closed his eyes and clenched his fists, anger boiling inside him. It shamed him that he had been reduced to this by mere little girls.

"No," he said eventually. It took all the control he had not to spit it out. "This is something I have to do on my own."

Nephrite didn't remove his gaze off him.

Jadeite met his gaze, and raised his fists. "I will end this with my own two hands."

Finally, Nephrite nodded. Without another word, he left Jadeite to his own mullings; an understanding millennia old exchanged. The _Shitennou_ were proud warriors; nothing was worse than losing that pride.

* * *

Usagi shuffled in her seat on the hill's park bench. The area was quiet, and unlike most other parks, this place was least visited by drunkards because of its relative isolation. They had needed a quiet place to talk, one far away from civilisation and somewhere Luna wouldn't be able to reach easily.

Usagi checked the time again: half-past twelve. She was still too early.

There was a sound of something hitting metal behind her and she quickly turned around. A figure leapt from the railings, twisting in mid-air to land nimbly in front of her.

"Wow," she whispered.

"Tsukino-_san_," Ami said, de-transforming, "I didn't expect you to be early."

She laughed off the implication of that statement. "Luna fell asleep after I fed her her favourite crab, so I just ran out."

Ami nodded and took a seat on her right. "It is probably for the best."

Usagi slid over to give the other girl more space on the bench. "I haven't seen you since that day. How are you coping?"

Ami leaned back on her hands. "For the most part, I am still stunned that I am supposed to be some sort of Guardian of Mercury. One day, I was…human. And I don't know what I am now."

"I know the feeling." Usagi sighed. "And worse, it actually feels right. Like nothing about me has actually changed."

"Like we were born for this," Ami said softly.

"Yeah."

For a while, they sat in silence. Out of the corner of her eye, Usagi studied Ami, marvelling at how mature the other girl appeared despite being the same age. Dressed in slimming black jeans with a white blouse under a light blue cardigan, her casual sneakers were the only things that indicated a teenage side. Although Usagi still felt horrible that she wasn't good enough to save her before she awakened, she was somewhat relief to have such a reliable ally. While she didn't know what to do, she felt Ami would soon be able to find the answers.

"Ami—ah, sorry." Usagi swallowed. "May I call you Ami?"

"It doesn't matter to me."

"Oh." Usagi chided herself; she was probably thinking too hard about it.

But Ami tilted her head, staring at her. She seemed to have noticed the hurt in her voice. "What I meant was, I am used to first-name basis usages, but understand Japan's culture to be different. Thus, either way is fine with me."

Usagi started. "You're not Japanese?"

"I am, but I have been following my mother to scientific conferences abroad since I was a child. Speaking on a first-name basis is common there."

"Okay." Usagi absently scratched at a non-existent itch. "And you can call me Usagi, too."

"All right. So, Usagi, what was it you wanted to say?"

"Um, well…" She took a deep breath. "Just that… I'm sorry I couldn't save you."

"What do you mean? You killed the _Youma_."

"No, I mean, I couldn't save you from all this. This new life."

Ami leaned her head back, gazing up at the stars above them. It was a warm, windless night. The lights from the city were dim at this time; the stars sparkled in the relative darkness of the earth. "What's done is done."

Usagi hugged her knees to her chest, careful not to topple over on the other side. "I wish I can take it as well as you. I think I'm still in denial of this whole thing."

"You can try to make a list of the pros and cons. I did that, and it has helped."

She snorted. "Oh, I can think of a whole heap of awesome pros. The con is that I may die. What do I do then?"

"Apply weights."

"Huh?"

"For some people, the pursuit of knowledge far outweighs any risk of death." Ami smiled softly. "You just have to find something good you can do with this power that you are willing to risk your life for."

Usagi sighed again, hiding her face behind her knees. "Luna said something similar before."

Ami didn't reply immediately; when she did, it was a different topic. "Do you trust Luna?"

"No."

"Put away your biases for the moment and answer honestly."

"I don't think she means any true harm," Usagi reluctantly said. "She seems to want to keep us alive, at least."

"Hm."

"What about you?"

"I think she is keeping things from us."

"Like what?"

"That is what I would like to know," she replied. "What has Luna told you about the enemy? Dark Kingdom?"

"Nothing."

"Hm."

"To be fair, I never asked, or listened to her," Usagi said quickly. "In any case, their actions alone have to put them on the evil side. Otherwise, we'd be the evil ones."

"And Guardians?"

"Something like magical soldiers with the power to protect innocents and fight evil."

"And what do we, as Guardians, do?"

"Protect the innocent and fight evil."

"Specifically."

"Don't know."

"How many of us are there?"

"Don't know."

"Is Tuxedo Mask one of us?"

"Don't know. But Luna doesn't seem to know him."

"Sailor V?"

Usagi lifted her head. Since finding out about the world of Sailor Guardians, she'd been asking her classmates more about the mysterious Sailor V. No one had any useful answers besides that she fought for justice and was rumoured be working for the international police.

"Do you think she is?" she asked.

"She kind of fits the description," Ami replied, then her lips curled into a half-smile, "but I can't imagine that there is a Guardian of V."

_A joke_!

Usagi laughed. "The Guardians of the Moon, Mercury and V. We'd make an awesome trio."

Ami chuckled along. When they'd stopped, she continued, "So basically, you know nothing specific."

She shook her head. "Sorry. Maybe we can get Luna to spill everything tomorrow."

"I will leave that to you, if you don't mind. There is something I want to do instead, so I need you to keep her occupied for at least an hour. Around midnight should suffice."

"Why?" Usagi asked curiously. "What are you going to do?"

"Obtain separate data. That way, we can compare notes to see if Luna is telling the truth."

"How are you going to do that?"

Ami looked thoughtful. "The night before we met, when I was leaving Crystal Seminar, I saw a black cat sneaking into the arcade. Now I know it was Luna. She was doing something in there; I want to find out what."

"I've been to the arcade many times," Usagi said, before realising how embarrassing that sounded. In a meeker voice, she continued, "I've never seen anything unusual. Motoki-_oniisan_ even lets me go into the backroom but there's nothing there. Luna does seem to visit that place a lot though."

"It is worth checking out."

"Ami?"

"Yes."

"Aren't you afraid?" she asked. "You seem so confident."

Ami held up her left hand, stretching out her fingers. She seemed to be seeing something Usagi didn't. "Maybe it is because I have a stronger understanding of my new abilities. And I quite like it—the improved stamina, higher dexterity, strength rivalling professional athletes, accelerated self-healing. In my case, I find the power to control water fascinating."

As if to prove her point, bright blue light enveloped her body, and she was transformed. Waving her fingers, tiny drops of water began to form over the palm of her hand, hovering like a tiny cloud.

Usagi gushed in awe, eyes wide. "How are you doing this? It's only been two days since you awakened. I can't even transform without shouting that stupid phrase."

"I've been told that I spent an unhealthy amount of time studying something when I get obsessed," Ami admitted. "This realisation did not come easily, and the practice was almost painful. Here is what I found out about our powers: our magic relies strongly on focus. With a strong focus, you can transform without using the phrase; but insofar, it seems impossible to use magical attacks in civilian form. Once transformed though, our focus gathers more efficiently and easier into our attacks. Additionally, saying the transformation and attack phrases aid immensely in our focus, making it seem instinctive. However, my pen and your brooch do seem vital to the transformation process. I have yet to be able to transform when it is not on my person."

"Damn, you really are a genius," Usagi said, waving her hand through the cloud. "You found out all this in just two days?"

"Actually, there is more." Ami flicked her wrist, and a bright light appeared before her, fading away to reveal a small glass screen. Usagi peered closer, thinking of all the sci-fi films she'd seen with their super computers and holographic screens. "Apparently, I have some fascinating tech to go with magic."

"No fair." Usagi pouted. "Why do you get all the cool stuff?"

"You can't play games on this, Usagi."

"Never mind me then. Please continue."

Ami chuckled.

"I have yet to determine whether this tablet is an item of magic or advanced technology. It seems to be a supercomputer, but I can't find a motherboard or chip anywhere. The programs loaded on it seem to be made for analytical and recording purposes only. It seems to obtain data from my own observations—literally from the thoughts in my brain. It can also obtain data from outside sources and I suspect highly illegal hacking is involved."

Usagi frowned. "That's bad, isn't it?"

"I did a search for the government's military passcodes—"

"Ami!"

"It was just as an experiment of this computer's abilities." She waved a hand nonchalantly. "Besides, no one even noticed I was there."

Usagi huffed good-naturedly. Despite some questionable decisions, Ami was doing her best to ease their situations, and for that, she could never be worried about the girl.

"Also, there is this." Ami swung the hand holding the computer down, aiming for the edge of the bench between them. The tablet passed through the stone bench undamaged. "Selective intangibility. Durability is not a problem, because it can never be damaged."

As Usagi gaped, she sighed. "I think I am a thousand years too early to understand this technology."

"Is that all?" Usagi finally exclaim sarcastically.

"One more." She tapped one of the studs on her left ear, and a blue visor flashed across her eyes. "Basically, it makes up for my bad eyesight, and then some."

"That's it, right?" Usagi was surprised that she was actually getting envious of Ami, even though her toys were the product of the damned Guardian magic. "Nothing else to surprise me with?"

"No more items," Ami said. "I do have some information about the enemy, but while we are on the topic of powers, I want to know more about yours."

"I throw tiaras like a boomerang that slice through _Youmas_. My hair bun ornaments sometimes scream in a very high pitch. I have this little mask that kind of lets me see through things. Luna gave me this pen that can supposedly disguise me as another person; I haven't tried it yet. That's all."

"All right, first things first." Ami tapped on her computer. "Can you activate your tiara attack for me?"

"What?"

"Power it up," she explained. "You don't have to throw it. I want to get a read on its energy level."

Usagi transformed, at first trying without the transformation phrase. Ami was very patient with her attempts, but she gave up soon enough.

"How is it?" Usagi asked excitedly, replacing the tiara.

"I can't say exactly," Ami said. "The only comparison I can do is with my own, but I can only make miniscule droplets of water—fog, in other words. It is weak, more for defensive uses. Nevertheless, the level of your attack does seem very high."

"As long as it gets the _Youma_, I'm happy."

"Now, your hair ornaments?"

Usagi looked away sheepishly. "I don't know how they work."

"Well, what were you doing when they activated?"

Usagi couldn't bring herself to look at Ami; she could feel her face warming up, her cheeks reddening. Twirling her index fingers together, she answered softly, "Crying."

She could feel Ami's eyes on the back of her head.

"Well, I think asking you to cry for me would be socially unacceptable," was all she said. "I will just take note when it activates again."

There was a clear sigh of disappointment when she made that choice. Usagi flinched inwardly, a little afraid of this mad-scientist-like side of Ami.

"Let's move on to the final business before we adjourn." Another play with the computer, and an image was projected in front of them. Usagi recognised the young man in front of her, crouched in animalistic fury. "This was the best image I could get of him. Through the computer's visualisation,"—the image changed into a natural-looking form of Jadeite—"I have estimated his height to be around a hundred and seventy-five centimetres and his age to be around twenty. I couldn't get an energy reading off him, but it is a safe bet he is commanding the _Youma_, hence he should be more powerful."

Usagi stared at the image, feeling a little sad. "He looks so human like that. What drove him to such evil?"

Another image appeared next to it, this time of Jadeite in casual clothing, a nice, genuine smile on his face.

"Warren Ishikawa," Ami stated. "Six months ago, he was reported missing. There had been no sightings of him since."

"What do you mean?"

"I am not sure." Ami rubbed her chin in contemplation. "It could be a coincidental doppelganger; or Ishikawa turned to the enemy. Considering that there are at least four of them, by his title, it is a good place to start with the identification process."

"And then what?" Usagi's voice grew louder; she swallowed before continuing but she couldn't remove the shakiness in her words. "Fight?"

"I don't know." She closed her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I am just as adverse as you are to this supposed destiny of fighting evil. But the sad fact is, the enemy is operating throughout Tokyo, if not worldwide. We might come across them again. I just don't want to be forced to fight them unawares. Death is all too real in this situation."

Usagi knew Ami was right. As much as she hated to admit it, it was because she wasn't prepared that she failed to protect Ami even though she had told herself she would. Despite how Ami hid her emotions well, it was obvious she did not want to be a part of this destiny. But unlike her, Ami was better at prioritising even in the worst situation.

She decided she would too.

The other girl had put away her computer and was back to staring at the skies. Her hands rested by her side, supporting her weight against the bench as she leaned back. Usagi reached out for her hand, then pulled back at the memory of Ami jerking away the last time she'd touched her. Perhaps Ami didn't like being touched by people, was her thought. Usagi took her hand anyway, figuring her point wouldn't get across without the show of sincerity.

Ami gasped, her balance gone with the sudden removal of one supporting arm.

"Usagi, what are you doing?" She frowned.

"I will protect you," she said firmly, fixing her gaze into the other girl's eyes.

"I'm sorry?"

"I know I haven't proven myself to be reliable or strong-willed," she began earnestly, "and I'm clumsy, dumb and a cry-baby. I told Luna that I'd never let her awaken other Guardians, and I failed miserably. I wanted to save you from going down the same road as me, but I was too slow. I—"

"I don't think you are helping yourself as much as you think, Usagi," Ami interrupted. She arched an eyebrow, but didn't continue. Or pulled her hand away.

Usagi pretended to be offended. "You just ruined the start of a good moment here."

Ami was unperturbed, as she always was. "And?"

"And I think that it's so admirable that you're trying so hard to give us the best chances at staying alive," she continued. She tightened her grip on the other girl's hand. "I want to do my best too. I want to contribute. I'm not smart like you, but I have stronger attacks. So, basically, all I'm saying is… You do your thing the way you want to; just know that you're not alone. I'll be there to protect you."

She expected Ami to be happy, to express some relief at her heartfelt proclamation. She expected Ami to agree enthusiastically, to profess the desire to work together. She did not expect the removal of her hand, no matter how gentle it was.

Ami stood up, holding her hands behind her back. She didn't look at Usagi when she spoke monotonously. "Perhaps you shouldn't think that way."

Usagi jumped to her feet. "Why not? We're in this together, aren't we?"

"But for very different reasons." Ami faced her again, tilting her head slightly to the side, casting her profile into the shadows. "You are using your powers to protect other Guardians from awakening; I just want to stay alive. If a potential Guardian were to be attacked, you would charge right in, no matter how disadvantageous the circumstances against the enemy. I would most likely run, especially if I think the enemy is stronger than I can handle. You are a kind and caring person, Usagi. I am selfish. We can work together to understand what's going on, but I am afraid that is as far as I am willing to go."

Usagi had to bite her lower lip to keep it from quivering. Her eyes were brimming with tears and she quickly turned her head downcast. She could not blame Ami; but that did not stop her from feeling all the more lost.

What was she to do when she couldn't do it alone?

* * *

The ringing of the school bell was faraway and dull. By the time she'd registered it, it had already stopped and the scrapes of chair against floor and chatter had replaced it. Ami slowly opened her eyes, blinking away the haze of sleep. The teacher was reminding students of the end-of-topic test in two days' time, her words falling on semi-deaf ears.

Ami lifted her head, idly scanning the board for the day's homework assignment. All around her, snickers and glares of malice could be seen a mile away. The school's leniency with her was infamous among the students. It was tolerable that she, at least, was studying something before; now, to fall asleep in class and be let off by the teacher, many students thought it fitting to openly show their contempt.

She ignored them all. People who would rather demoralise another than better themselves were beneath her. She gathered her things, then headed to the restroom. She was no stranger to the occasional all-nighters with a book, but four nights spent experimenting with her newfound powers was both physically and mentally draining.

The restroom was empty. Most were either off to club activities, extra classes or home. Ami made her way to the middle sink, setting her bag on the space between the taps and the mirror. Turning the cold water on full blast, hoping that the sound provided extra stimulus to drive away the sleep, she bent over, cupping palmfuls of water. A single splash wasn't enough, but before she could repeat the action, she felt a hand at the back of her head.

It was all she could do to hold her breath in in time before her head was shoved into the sink, under the cold blast. She closed her eyes against the water, bidding her time until her aggressors were satisfied. It didn't take long before she was released, and they left, wicked laughter trailing them through the door.

She kept her drenched head over the sink, droplets of water slowly dripping down around her face. It was neater this time; she could possibly save her uniform from getting wet. Her things, though, were not as fortunate. Notebooks, pens and papers lay strewn about the floor and sink; wet, stepped-on.

She breathed a sigh of relief that at least her tablet was undamaged.

* * *

Usagi waited by the gate again, this time having the courtesy of staying away from the opening. She checked the time again, frowning. She was sure Ami hadn't passed by, and she had practically run out the moment the bell rang, so she couldn't have missed her.

She gave a wave to a few passing friends, but her eyes never left the high school's main door. Was Ami involved in club activities? She realised she knew almost nothing about Ami. She didn't even know her contact number. They'd so far communicated only once with each other at school, away from Luna's prying eyes.

"Yo."

Someone stepped into her view, dressed in a dull green uniform of a school she didn't recognise. Usagi cranked her neck up to the face that towered over her. Wavy dark brown hair weaved from a ponytail, accentuating the beautiful rose earrings that caught her eye.

"Yes?" She couldn't stop herself from gaping at the sight of this tall, stunning girl.

"I need to get to the middle school student coordinator's office." The girl's slightly gruff voice brought her out of her stupor. "Could you help me out?"

Usagi gave her best, albeit roundabout, direction to the office.

The girl frowned. "So… I take—"

"Ami!" Usagi plastered a grin on her face, waving her over. She faltered when she saw Ami's state. "Oh my god, what happened? Here, take my handkerchief."

Ami brushed her damp fringe from her eyes in annoyance, accepting the offer with thanks. She frowned as she tapped the side of her head, tilting it.

"Yeah." The other girl whistled. "What the hell happened to you?"

"I took a dip in the pool."

"With your bag?"

"Of course. It is the new trend."

"And here I thought you had a little accident with a water fountain."

"That happens sometimes too."

"You like water a lot, huh?"

"It is a secret quirk of mine. Don't tell anyone," Ami replied wryly, yet with an absolutely vacant face.

"I actually think that's an interesting story to tell."

"You won't be helping anyone, so don't." She returned the handkerchief. "Usagi, I will be going off first."

"What, wait," Usagi called, confused. "What about last night?"

Ami stopped, tapped on her ear again, then turned around. "Tomorrow at lunch. Block F's rooftop."

"Ah…" Usagi was torn; her eyes flickered between the two girls.

The taller one smiled kindly. "Thanks. I think I can get there on my own. That way, right?"

Usagi visibly paled when the girl pointed at a completely wrong direction. She didn't know she was _that_ horrible at giving directions.

"Shit." The girl grinned sheepishly. "Well, I'll find it eventually. Go after your friend."

Ami had already disappeared around the other side of the school wall.

Usagi smiled, putting her concerns for Ami aside—for now. "Hey, don't worry," she said cheerily. "Just follow me and we should have no troubles."

"Should?"

"I mean, none! No trouble at all. I definitely know my way around the school. Yeah." She laughed, slightly embarrassed. "Anyway, I'm Tsukino Usagi. Are you transferring to this school?"

"Yeah, I am. Kino Makoto. Nice to meet you."


	4. Gradual Acceptance

_**Chapter Four: Gradual Acceptance  
**_

Usagi clambered up the stairs in frantic hurry, an apology ready on her lips as she burst through the rooftop door. But instead of a girl with a barely noticeable look of disapproval, what greeted her was a sight she never thought existed in her school. Pots of beautiful plants—both large and small—lay in various positions throughout the rooftop, appearing random yet coexisting in decorative harmony. Garden beds lined along the fences, sprouting a variety of flowers and leaves.

She spared a moment to take the beauty of it all before seeking out Ami. Around the door's enclosure, she spotted the girl on the floor, leaning against the wall. On one side of her lay an opened container of sandwiches; on her lap rested a book on its opened pages. Ami's eyes were closed in peaceful slumber.

With a smile, Usage sat down next to her, unable to bring herself to wake her. It was obvious Ami was tired; she probably had not been sleeping much since awakening as a Guardian, as preoccupied with her experimenting as she was. If Usage thought she'd achieve something if she studied her powers as well, even her beloved sleep would be at severe risk.

She checked the time; she was thirty minutes late. Haruda had decided to be meaner today, though Usagi had to admit it wasn't without good reason—again.

An unexpected weight on her left shoulder brought her attention back to Ami. The other girl had been slowly falling over in her sleep, her descent finally halted by Usagi's body. She stirred, but it was a long while before she finally opened her eyes.

"Usagi?" she murmured, still partly asleep. Her arm must have fallen asleep too because she didn't immediately withdraw her head.

"I'm sorry I'm late. I got held up with the teacher again."

Ami sighed, pushing herself upright. "I feel like I should be giving you an obligatory 'Education is important' speech, but I have been accused of hypocrisy enough times already. I will let you off the hook this time."

"Sorry," Usagi repeated sheepishly. She gestured around them. "You know, I wasn't surprised when you said Block F. It's so isolated that we don't have to worry about anyone accidentally overhearing us. But after seeing all these, I'm surprised it's this empty."

"This was one of the Gardening Club's projects before they dissolved two years ago," Ami explained. "It has become a hidden secret of the school's since then. Only the school gardener tends to it now."

"It's so serene."

Ami nodded. "Anyway, I checked the arcade. Like you said, nothing looked out of the ordinary. But my scanners did reveal an unusually higher than expected energy reading. It was like the building was running every electrical device on full, despite being closed for the night. If Luna was there on Guardian business, there may be a hidden room somewhere I haven't yet found."

Usagi quickly hid a pout that wanted very much to show itself. Where Naru was almost entirely susceptible to her big-teary-eyed look, she sadly had to admit that this relationship she had with Ami was not one that either would call friendship. They were only together because they were forced to, not because they wanted to.

"How was your talk with Luna?"

"Oh, um…" She looked away, trying to remember. For a cat, Luna was unexpectedly talkative; instead of an hour, the lecture went on until three at night, becoming the main source of Haruda's earlier anger at her. Halfway through, she had been more intent on keeping awake than listening. "Nothing much to add, I think. Basically, it's the same deal about fighting evil and finding other Guardians to form a stronger team. According to her, there are four Guardians, and they all reside close by. She doesn't know who the unawakened ones are, but she says she can identify them if she meets them. She then went on and _on_ about the importance of training and learning how to use my powers."

She paused, biting her lip. She felt like she was betraying herself when she next spoke. "But I don't think Luna is a bad person—cat. Maybe she's all serious about some mission to recruit little girls to fight evil, but I think she really cares about keeping us alive. She's like: 'Your job is to fight evil, so do it. It's your life against the innocents of the world, so it's a no-brainer. But that doesn't mean you have to die. I'll train you; I'll be there with you through the whole thing. I'll do my best to keep you alive and well. Please trust me.'"

Before Ami could respond, the gravity of her words was refuted with a loud grumbling. Usagi blushed.

"I forgot to bring my lunch," she stated the obvious.

Ami wordlessly offered her sandwiches and she gratefully accepted one.

"Because of the _Youma_ incident, Crystal Seminar has shut down for a couple of weeks, at least until the police arrive at some satisfying conclusion," Ami began. "My afternoons are free until I find another place with good lecturers. I would like to meet with Luna. Tomorrow after school."

Usagi nodded, swallowing a final mouthful, before happily accepting another offer. "I'll let her know. Do you want her to come meet us at the school gates?"

"Does she know the area well?"

"I don't know."

"Then we will meet at the school entrance."

"Okay."

"I will see you there then. Goodbye." Ami stood up, picking up her book and empty lunch container.

Usagi stayed on the floor, her heart sinking. Was that all to their meeting? Was that all she was? A middleman to Luna?

"Usagi."

"Y-yes!"

"Lunch period is almost over," Ami said. "If you don't leave now, you won't reach your classroom in time."

* * *

Luna was already waiting by the time Usagi reached the gate. Ami arrived not long after, and they proceeded toward a nearby park in silence. Once there, they found a secluded bench and Ami wasted no time.

"What are you?" she asked bluntly.

Luna was unfazed. "In this world, I am indistinguishable from a common domestic cat."

"In yours?"

"A sapient being."

"Let me rephrase. To the inhabitants of this world, are you an alien?"

"Yes."

Usagi couldn't hold back the surprised gasp. Ami looked, for the most part, unperturbed, though there was a noticeable clench of her jaw.

"Where did you originate?"

"I was born on the Moon, but my species came from a planet you do not know."

"The moon?" Ami's eye twitched. "Earth's moon?"

"Yes."

"Ami," Usagi whispered, tugging at her sleeve. "I don't like the sound of this."

She ignored her. "There are beings living on the moon?"

Luna shook her head. "Not currently. Millennia ago, yes. The Moon Kingdom prospered there."

"What is the Moon Kingdom?"

"I…" Luna hesitated. "I honestly don't know. When I was awakened myself, my memories were…fragmented. I remember vague images of something I recognise, somehow, as the Moon Kingdom. Mostly, I remember that I had a mission: to find the Princess."

"That is new," Ami said, raising an eyebrow at Usagi, who shrugged defensively.

"Don't blame Usagi," Luna continued sympathetically. "I didn't tell her. I, myself, don't know anything about it. The Princess of what? Who is she? Is she a normal human, or a Sailor Guardian? I don't even know if I can identify her like I can identify Guardians. I don't know if she's nearby, or in a different country."

Luna's voice faded into a small, sad whisper. There was emotion in her words; her eyes betrayed a sense of lost when she confided her troubles. Usagi almost wanted to hug the cat.

"What is your role with regards to the Guardians?" Ami asked, after allowing a short moment of silent understanding.

Luna squared her tiny shoulders, returning to business. "It is part of my mission. Along with being the protectors of justice and good, the Sailor Guardians have a duty, just as strong, to guard the Princess."

"How important is this Princess?"

"What do you mean?"

"To you; to the world; to me?" Ami frowned. "Because I don't know anything about this Princess. I don't feel anything for her. Why, if I even choose to accept myself as a Guardian, should I risk my life to protect an unknown person? And to protect her from what?"

"I cannot answer that. I don't know enough to."

"Try, damn it!" Ami stood up abruptly, causing Usagi to jump. "I am talking to a bloody cat, so the cat had better have some answers!"

"Ami, calm down." Usagi reached out, gently guiding the other girl back down.

Ami closed her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose tiredly.

Luna continued, but her tone had changed to soft compassion. "I understand your apprehension, Ami. Yours too, Usagi. At first, the mission was all I cared about. I didn't understand why you couldn't accept it as I can. I didn't understand why you cry every night, Usagi; why you whine and wail every time I try to bring the subject up. I didn't understand why you let me stay in your home even though you seem to hate me so much. Now, I think I do.

"You—both of you—are just young girls. I failed to understand that concept from a humane perspective. For what it's worth, I… I am truly sorry that I sought to awaken you to this life."

* * *

Usagi pressed a button on the vending machine, and waited for her drink to drop to the opening. Ami had gotten a headache and excused herself not long after the meeting began. Now she was alone with Luna, who was generously keeping her distance.

Usagi popped open the lid, taking absent sips. Finally, she beckoned Luna over, kneeling down and offering the bottle.

"Are you thirsty? It's chocolate milk."

"Thank you, Usagi," she said with a smile. "But I don't work well with chocolate."

"Oh." She shrugged, taking back the bottle. "More for me then."

"Usagi?"

"Yeah."

"I really am sorry."

"I know," she replied slowly. "You're just doing your job. I'm sorry for blaming you. It's your boss that I should hate."

Luna hesitatingly placed on paw on her knee. After a while, Usagi lifted her free hand and began scratching her furry black head.

"Looks like we'll be spending more time together from now on," she said.

Luna looked confused, twitching her ears.

"You'll have to train me, remember?" she explained. "We still have evil people trying to hurt others. Help me get better so we can put a stop to this. Just the two of us."

"But…"

"You promised, didn't you? If I can do it on my own, you won't seek out the other Guardians."

Luna looked torn, but then she smiled. A genuine smile that did not come with a hidden sacrifice. "Yeah. The Princess can wait. I want _you_ to be safe, Usagi."

"Whoa, did that cat just talked?"

Usagi whipped her head to the person who had interjected a nice moment of understanding with a stupid question she didn't know how to answer.

It was the rude guy she'd been running into a few times already. This time, he was wearing a high school uniform, his black bag casually swung over his shoulder. However, instead of the smirk she'd grown to associate him with, he was looking a little uncomfortable and—did she dare imagine it?—concerned.

Without thinking, she threw the not-quite-empty bottle at his head with a once-in-a-blue-moon perfect accuracy. Picking up Luna in her arms, she quickly ran off.

_What the hell_? Usagi grumped. _That guy has the worst sense of timing_.

Eventually, she found herself at a bus stop and took a seat, still hugging Luna in her arms. Her mind was a wreck. She was still terrified of the prospect of fighting, but she couldn't bear it if someone she knew got hurt because she wasn't strong enough. She was worried that Ami was overexerting herself, but she hardly knew the girl enough to comment. She still thought about Tuxedo Mask, but Luna had cautioned that he might not be an ally. She wanted everything to go back to the way it was, but it could never be the same again.

"That's a well-mannered cat."

"Huh?" Usagi blinked. She looked up at the girl sitting next to her.

"May I?" she asked, reaching out a hand.

"S-sure."

Usagi handed Luna over just as the girl began patting her head. After a few moments of awkward fidgeting, the girl decided to take Luna, cradling her in her arms. Luna, for her part, did not struggle and lay perfectly composed as she stared up at her admirer.

The girl had beautiful, straight black hair that ran down to her lower back. She wore a school uniform that Usagi recognised to be from a prestigious private school. Her smile as she played with Luna caught Usagi's breath.

_She's beautiful_, she thought, blushing slightly.

Suddenly, the girl laughed; such a gentle, but unashamed sound. "What did you do to your cat? It has a funny bald spot."

Luna meowed indignantly.

"Sorry, kitty," the girl said between laughs. "But it's true. Did your owner clip you with a razor or something?"

"Hey." Still, Usagi couldn't help but chuckle along.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you. Or your cat."

Usagi smiled. "That's okay. I thought the same thing when I first met Luna."

"Luna?" The girl scratched the cat under her chin. "Did you name her after the you-know-what spot?"

"Huh?"

"Luna; it means moon," she explained, pointing. "Doesn't it look like a crescent moon on its side?"

Usagi was about to reply when she noticed the stare Luna was giving the other girl. Her mouth grew dry and she wanted to immediately yank the cat away from her. But then Luna meowed happily, and licked the girl on the nose.

"Aw, what a sharp kitty. You can still smell the salmon I had for lunch, can't you?"

Usagi grinned in relief. "Is _that_ it?"

"Is what it?" the girl asked, her attention still on Luna.

She shook her head. "Nothing. Just talking to myself." She leaned in closer. "Luna's really taken a liking to you, huh? Luna, it's not good to disturb other people."

"Don't blame the cat," the girl said with a charming smile. "I'm the one who practically snatched her off you."

"Do you love animals?"

"Hm." She sat Luna down on her lap, one hand idly stroking her back. "It's a different feeling when you have a pet you can actually cuddle."

Usagi didn't understand.

"Gosh, where are my manners?" The girl offered a slender hand. "My name's Hino Rei. Sorry. I stole your cat but forgot to introduce myself."

"I'm Tsukino Usagi. Nice to meet you."

The bus pulled up next to them and Rei got up. She was halfway to the open door before she turned back. "Are you coming?"

Usagi started, her hands raised in an attempt to retrieve Luna before Rei got on.

"You were waiting for the bus, weren't you?" Rei asked, oblivious to her strange stance.

"Uh… Okay?" She did not know why she said that. The sight of a beautiful girl holding onto Luna like a little child had her mesmerised.

Rei's back vanished into the bus and she hurried to catch up, nearly running into the other girl who had turned around.

"No pets allowed," she said, sounding disappointed.

Usagi thought quickly, then opened her school bag.

Rei frowned. "I don't think—" She was cut off by Luna jumping in. "Okay, then."

It was a tight fit, and there was obviously an unnatural lump in her bag, but they got on without further troubles. They found a seat together and spent the rest of the bus ride in a nonchalant and non-intrusive conversation. It was a perfectly normal chatter between strangers, but Usagi was finding her mood lifting the longer they were together, talking without a care.

Twenty minutes later, the bus was slowing down on Sendai Hill. Rei reached up to press the 'Next Stop' button.

"I'm off next," she said, lifting the cover of Usagi's school bag. "Bye, Luna." To Usagi, "Maybe I'll catch you on the bus next time."

Usagi nodded happily. "See you."

Rei waved, then stepped off. Usagi sat back, exhaling slowly. Now how was she supposed to get back?

* * *

The rest of the week had passed uneventfully. True to her word, Usagi had spent a couple of hours every night training under Luna's guidance. Ami had joined her once, though it was more to observe her abilities than to train their teamwork. That Sunday night, they met up in the city at Ami's request.

Ami, in her transformed state, was already waiting for them atop the district's biggest shopping complex. She pointed to the building below them that she was interested in.

"A jewellery store?" Usagi wondered, setting Luna down beside her.

"It is the only store selling jewellery in the district that hasn't been broken into in the past six months."

"Do you think there is a connection between this and the Dark Kingdom?"

"I'm not sure." Ami crossed her arms, her eyes clouded behind her visor. "The timing with the cases of energy stealing coincides, but I may just be grasping at straws here."

Usagi leaned against the roof rails, trying to pay attention to the store's surroundings. But her gaze frequently flickered toward the girl on her right and she found herself unable to hold it in any longer.

"Ami…"

"Mercury."

"What?"

"It is best that while we are transformed, we should refer to each other by our Guardian titles," Ami said. "Keeping our identities secret is of utmost importance so that the enemy cannot get to us through our families."

"Okay." Usagi absently twirled her fingers together. "So... How are you coping with all this?"

"I suspect not very differently from you."

"I end every training with a good, hearty scream. Do you do that?"

Ami couldn't resist a chuckle. "No. Does it help?"

"Very much so. You should try it."

"I will pass." She gestured to the jewellery store and herself. "This is my way of coping. I distract myself by indulging in the activities of experimenting and research."

"A distraction is not the same as releasing tension," Usagi said seriously.

"I know."

"Then how are you not going crazy?"

"How are _you_ keeping sane?" Ami asked instead.

Usagi paused. "I suppose I… I focus on the task ahead, step-by-step."

"That is distraction."

Usagi frowned, turning away. In the back of her mind, there was an answer there that she was reluctant to admit. Her self-imposed denial of the last two weeks would be for naught. But maybe it was time she rose above that pathetic state. Certainly, she could at least be honest with herself that she wanted to do…_more_.

"I found something good I want to do with my powers," she finally said, so softly it was barely audible.

But Ami heard her and smiled tenderly.

"The big pro that overrules every other negative, huh?"

Usagi returned the smile. "Yeah."

Ami turned back to the scene of the potential crime, but her expression was introspective. Usagi joined her, every once in a while grabbing onto Luna's tail when it flicked in her direction, earning her an admonishing glare.

"Say, Usagi." Either Ami forgot about her identity rule, or she didn't care. "If I broke down… Would you—"

"I'll be with you all the way," she said immediately, fiercely.

Ami blinked, tilted her head, a small smile playing on the edge of her lips. Then she huffed good-naturedly.

"I think you are just too kind for your own good," she said, but it wasn't without gentle sincerity.

"Girls, look." Luna jumped to all fours, the furs on the back of her neck rising.

Usagi peered to where Luna was pointing, squinting through the dark at the lithe figure bounding atop rooftops, finally stopping at the jewellery store. Usagi could feel her body heating up at the sight of him again.

"Tuxedo Mask," she whispered, her eyes fixed on him as he jiggled open a second-floor window and slid in nimbly.

"Does he realise he has triggered the silent alarm?" Ami mused aloud.

"Aren't you going to stop him?" Luna nudged her hand.

"That is common police work," Ami replied, stopping Usagi from reacting. "We are observing, which is more important for us."

As Ami calmly watched the scene of a crime taking place, Usagi began to squirm uneasily. She couldn't see what was going on inside of the dark building and it frustrated her. She didn't know if she was worried that he would get caught, or that the guards inside would be hurt.

"Sailor Moon, your mask," Ami reminded.

She felt so much better when she could see inside.

Though the two security guards were now on high alert and had rushed up to the second floor, Tuxedo Mask easily slipped passed them, venturing down to the front of the store. He carefully, but quickly, eyed each piece of jewellery that had been kept in the cabinets under the glass displays. Barely a minute had passed when he left for the back room, taking nothing with him. He headed straight for the locked vault, lightly pressing his fingers against the steel door. A second later, he was turning the dial as if the vault had just told him the code. Again, he took nothing.

The way he slipped passed the guards again to escape through the opened window was practically a joke. In the hidden safety on the building's roof, he took a moment to stare up at the moonlight, ignorant of the coming sirens. Then he turned his head, and it was as if his dark, lonely eyes saw only the whirlpool depths in hers. He raised one hand, reaching out for her, lips slightly parted as if he needed to say something.

In the next instant, he had run off into the night.

A small whimper escaped her lips, and she pulled back her own reaching arms, clutching them against her painful chest.

"He is not a common thief," she heard Ami say. "He is looking for something specific. A ring; a pendant; a stone?"

_'I didn't find the Silver Crystal I was looking for…'_

"The Silver Crystal," Usagi muttered.

"That's right!" Luna said. "He did say that before. The Legendary Silver Crystal."

"What is that?" Ami asked.

"An item of immeasurable magical prowess." Luna sighed. "Unfortunately, that's as much as I know about it. I have a strong feeling, though, that the Princess and this Silver Crystal go hand in hand."

* * *

"Naru," Usagi whined, drawing dramatically on the last syllable. She threw her arms around the other girl, clinging in a way that would usually be considered annoying as they walked down the hallway toward their first period class. "I'm sad."

"There, there, Usagi," Naru cooed patiently, rubbing her back. "What's wrong?"

"The man of my dreams is a jewel thief."

Naru blinked, confused. "Eh?"

"It's like this," Usagi explained in a pitiful tone, "there's this gorgeous guy, and he's always just there, like a guardian angel. He's always wearing a striking tuxedo suit and has these dreamy eyes behind a mysterious mask. And now he's a thief."

Naru stared at her blankly for a long time before responding. "Unfortunately, Usagi, that's how dreams are like. Sometimes they end nicely. But sometimes, they go in a very weird direction. This is one time your dream guy isn't quite…for you. But, you know, there's a chance you'll dream a better one next time."

Despite her mood, Usagi couldn't help but laugh at Naru's misunderstanding.

"You're absolutely right!" She grinned. "Do you think I'll get the right guy in class?"

"I don't think he's the right guy if he runs away the instant Haruna-_sensei_ turns her wrath on you."

Their playful exchange was cut short by the scene of a student arguing loudly with a teacher outside of the class next to theirs. Recognising the green uniform, Usagi waved, oblivious to the debacle.

"Makoto!" she called. "You're starting today?"

"Yo, Usagi!" Makoto gestured her over, leaning in. "Help me out here. This idiot's giving me a hard time about my uniform even though I already have permission."

Her eyes widened. "Makoto, you can't call a teacher that!"

"That's why I'm whispering it to you," the taller girl said matter-of-factly, though she was hardly being as discreet as she believed.

"Kino-_san_," the teacher began sternly.

"I've told you like a hundred times already," Makoto retorted before he could continue, "I forgot my permission slip, but feel free to check it with the student coordinator. I am allowed to roam about in my previous school's uniform because your middle school ones are too small."

Usagi flinched at the daring tone Makoto took with the teacher.

"Why couldn't you have one altered?" he insisted.

"I'm a poor lonely girl forced to live frugally. Your school has a stupid policy that any alterations have to be approved and done by a professional tailor. Connect the damn dots."

"Makoto," Usagi nervously warned.

"Osaka-_san_, Tsukino-_san_, what are you two doing?" They turned around to see Haruda at their classroom door. "Class is starting. Hurry get to your seats."

As Naru earnestly dragged her away, Usagi gave a thumbs-up to Makoto. "Good luck! Come over for lunch if you're free, yeah?"

* * *

Usagi could barely keep her eyes open by the time lunch period started. So tired was she from all her late-night trainings that even food couldn't tempt her to lift her head from her desk. Naru, in her glorious best-friend mode, occasionally fed her a bite or two from her own lunch, but even the deliciousness of it could not wake her.

Through slitted eyes, she stared blankly at the other side of the classroom, barely listening as Naru and Umino chatted with the others. It was then that she noticed an empty seat.

"Hey, where's Yumi?" she slurred.

When no one answered, she forced herself to get up, a little concerned. Her friends looked at lost for words. Finally, Naru spoke up.

"Usagi, don't freak out, okay? But Yumi's been reported missing since Friday evening."

"What?"

"She'd gone to visit the Hikawa Shrine on Sendai Hill with her friends, and all of them never returned home."

"Oh my god." Usagi was wide awake now. "Was it a kidnapping? What did the police say?"

"They're tight-lipped about it," Umino piped up, "but what I heard is that this is just one of a global mass abduction case."

"Global?" Naru gasped.

"Well, eastern Asia, actually," he admitted. "It started at least a week ago."

As Umino revelled in the attention he got from his uncredited source of information, only one thing occupied Usagi's mind.

The Dark Kingdom was acting up.

* * *

Usagi glared at her phone again, mentally threatening the device to connect or the worst would befall it. For the third time since school ended, the call went straight to Ami's voicemail.

"What the hell?" She growled. "I finally have her number and I can't even get her."

"Yo, Usagi." Makoto came up to her. "Do you have a secret relationship with the gate or something?"

She forced a smile. "I'm just waiting for my… I'm waiting for Ami."

"Who?" Makoto pursed her lips, thinking. "Oh, you mean the dollmaster."

"The what?"

"You know… All cute and small, but with an eerie blank gaze that just follows you wherever you move. A doll."

"And the master part?"

She gave a mock shiver. "Somehow, you just get the feeling that she's pulling all the strings around here. Like everything's all calculated, going according to her methodically-set plans."

"I am glad you think so highly of me."

They both gave a startled cry, stumbling away.

"Ami," Usagi gasped. "How long have you been there?"

She cocked her head. "From the start. I was only a few steps behind…you." She glanced at Makoto, and there was almost a discernible curve of a devious smile. "With my being all cute and small, it is not unlikely that I could be fully blocked from sight by your body."

Makoto's face reddened, and she looked away. "Uh, yeah. Sorry about that."

"Anyway, Usagi," Ami said, turning back to Usagi, "you wanted something?"

"What? Hey," Makoto interrupted, looking insulted. "After all that, you're just gonna ignore me?"

"I am sorry." Ami held out her left hand. "Mizuno Ami, tenth grade."

Makoto grumbled, shaking her hand awkwardly. "Kino Makoto, eighth grade. Can't believe you're actually my _sempai_."

"A redundant statement; the proof is right in front of you." Then, looking less patient, she returned her attention to Usagi. "There is something I have to do. Is it important?"

"Uh, yeah…" Usagi glanced toward Makoto, an apologetic grin on her face.

"Oh, hey, no worries." Makoto waved, and began to walk off. "I just wanted to apologise that I didn't take you up on your lunch offer earlier today. The school messed up some of the paperwork and I had to help fix it up. Catch you later."

Usagi followed Ami as they headed away from the crowd of students, toward the general area of the park where they had talked with Luna the week before.

"Did you hear about the kidnappings?" she asked when they were out of earshot of the others.

Ami nodded.

"Do you think it's the work of the Dark Kingdom?"

"Yes."

Her eyes widened, a flurry of emotions threatening to surface. "How long have you known?"

"I have suspected since it surfaced on the news."

"Why didn't you say anything?" she practically shouted. "Aren't we going to do something about it? It's the enemy! They're kidnapping people now!"

Ami stopped walking, fixing her with a deep stare. "What happened to no fighting? Do you want to get involved now? Do you want to risk your life?"

Usagi didn't hesitate for long. She'd made up her mind when she had decided to train to get stronger.

"I want to protect everyone."

Ami studied her, eyes dark and careful. As if she had just come to her own conclusion, she slowly nodded.

"All right. Then come with me."


	5. Versatile Fire, Part I

_**Chapter Five: Versatile Fire, Part I**_

Many people knew of the beautiful young _miko_ who worked at the Hikawa Shrine on Sendai Hill. They knew her to be different from other modern _miko_s; that her knowledge and elegance could rival that of the historic shamanic women. They saw her as enigmatic and desirable, as having a commanding presence no fourteen-year-old could ever claim. Her clairvoyant aptitude was both revered and feared; she talked to the fire, they said.

They did not know her as Hino Rei, a simple schoolgirl. They did not know she loved Ancient Writing and meditations at dawn. They did not know she lived at the shrine with her grandfather, whom she loved dearly. They did not know she was trying so hard to meet the unreachable expectations of the frantic parents of the abducted victims.

"Please, you have to find my daughter," one woman was saying.

"I'm so sorry, but this is something you should leave to the police," Rei said calmly.

"But you have mysterious powers, don't you?" another woman said. "Couldn't you find my daughter? Did you even try?"

She hesitated. Despite her role in the temple, having clairvoyant abilities was still not normal in this world. "I'm afraid it doesn't work that way."

"How can you say that?"

"What good are you then?"

"You and your temple are fakes."

"Please refrain from dishonouring my temple for a claim we never made," she replied to their outbursts in as calm a manner she could summon.

"Maybe you people won't help because you're involved in the kidnappings."

That one statement made her blood boil. She didn't even know whose mouth it came from, but she could no longer stand the sight of such petty people. Her throat felt constricted; a habit that came whenever she felt close to raising her voice. She could understand people hating them for not being able to help; she felt bad about it herself. But she would not tolerate it when they accused her and her temple of evil intentions.

"I have to ask you all to leave," she said through barely contained anger. "Now. Please leave this place if that is all you have to say."

Some left without another sound, embarrassed of their behaviour. Some left, loudly blurting false and malicious claims. Some attempted to stay, to argue more, but she faced them down until they, too, eventually left.

Taking deep breaths, trying to calm her mind, she trudged back to the meditation room. The Holy Fire crackled and waved to life at her presence, seeming to burn brighter. Kneeling down in front of the flames, she closed her eyes and concentrated.

For nearly half a year now, she'd been sensing evil such that she had never felt before. It was dark; it was scheming; it wanted the world. She knew the stories of crowds of people suddenly finding themselves weak to the point of near death was the work of this evil. But she could never pinpoint the next attack. There was nothing she could do to help.

It was just like now. The bus stop at the base of the shrine was now well-known to be the last stop of the abducted victims. She'd tried to observe the bus, but there was nothing out of the ordinary. She was helpless against this evil.

The angry caw of crows drew her attention from the flames. All she could think was that evil had finally shown itself as she ran outside.

* * *

Usagi stared up at the seemingly endless flight of stairs up to the Hikawa Shrine. In her mind, she pictured a pitifully breathless version of herself after climbing to the top, and immediately decided she had to train more.

Ami was at the bus stop, studying the bus schedule. She had her supercomputer out and was comparing notes on it.

Usagi skipped over next to her, peering curiously at the screen. Words and numbers flashed by so fast it made her dizzy.

"So…watcha doing?" she finally asked.

Without looking up, Ami explained. "Seventy-four per cent of missing persons reported since last Sunday has been ascertained to have ridden bus route four-oh-six the day they went missing. Twenty-one per cent is suspected, but not determined, to have taken this bus as they went missing on one of the five days confirmed to be the days of the kidnappings. The other five per cent belong to more normal circumstances. Of the seventy-four per cent, over eighty per cent ostensibly have reason to only take the evening route to the city, passing this stop at six p.m.. No one who took this particular route after this stop went missing, but bus surveillance showed that there were never any passengers aboard prior."

Usagi struggled to catch up.

"The same pattern has emerged in many other cities in Japan and other Asian countries. Different days, but always the same route, the same time and the same stops in each case."

"Wow." Usagi huffed, impressed. "You got all these from police reports?"

She shook her head. "The police haven't yet made the bus connections. I compiled witness statements, newspaper reports and city surveillance and analysed them for a pattern."

"You are pulling my leg, right?"

Ami smirked, tapping the supercomputer. "I told you this thing is a fantastic hacker. And its analysis software is the best I have ever seen or read about."

"God," Usagi drawled. "Now I'm glad I didn't get your cool toys. I wouldn't know what to do with it."

"There is still some time before six o'clock." Ami pointed down the road toward the five-way intersection. "Somewhere between here and past that intersection, the people in the bus disappear. I want to go down there to investigate the area."

"Do you mind if I don't follow you?" Usagi grinned sheepishly. "There's nothing I can do to help anyway."

"All right."

"I'll be visiting the shrine, so you can pick me up there when you're done. Or I'll come meet you if I finish earlier."

"All right." Ami turned away.

"Ami?"

"Yes."

"I'm glad you're here with me on this," she said sincerely.

Ami nodded simply, but Usagi could swear there was a brightness in her normally dark eyes.

Usagi climbed the steps to the shrine determinedly. She would not be caught panting for breath at the top. On the way, a group of middle-aged women passed her, arguing loudly about the merits of the shrine and crying about their missing children. Silently, she promised them that she would find and return their children.

At the top, Usagi gave a little skip of relief that her stamina wasn't as bad as she'd thought. Being late for school often had its benefits, she thought as she walked further in, scanning the area around her. She had recognised this stop to be the one where Rei had gotten off last week. Though it was a far stretch that she would find Rei here, she imagined that Rei in a _miko_ attire suited her perfectly.

The shrine, a relatively small one, was surrounded by lush green trees that added to its charm. The building and large decorations were a little run-down, but it only served to remind her of its traditional roots.

Despite the tranquillity of the place, Usagi grew nervous at how empty it was. She was fidgeting by the time she reached the building. When two crows came diving down at her, she screamed without holding back.

"_Akuryo Taisan_!"

Usagi removed her arms from her head just in time to see a piece of rectangular paper flying straight at her. With a force that was neither strong nor weak, the paper stuck to her forehead, and she fell over in a dazed shock.

"Oh, my god. What's your name again; Tsukino-_san_?"

Usagi opened one eye gingerly, then the other, frowning at the strange paper. As Rei helped her to her feet, she peeled it off, holding it fearfully like it was a wiggling insect.

"I am so sorry," Rei kept saying, taking the _ofuda_ back. "My crows have never attacked anyone before, and I've been really distracted I just reacted."

"That's okay," Usagi said cheerily. "I found you anyway."

"You were looking for me?" Rei asked, surprised.

"Well, I was nearby, and I remembered you got off around here, so I thought, hey, maybe Rei's a _miko_," she replied. "Looks like I'm right."

"A strange association," Rei said, "but good guess, I think. So, what brings you here?"

"Just hanging out. My—Ami has something she wanted to do near here, so I'm just tagging along."

"Ami?"

"She'll probably drop by later. You'll see her then."

"Okay." Rei bent over to pick up her bag. "I still feel bad about earlier. You should probably get off your feet for a while just to make sure you're fine. Would you like to come in for some tea?"

Usagi grinned. "Sure."

As they headed towards the small house just at the borders of the shrine grounds, Rei looked back over her shoulder. "Where's Luna?"

"I didn't bring her this time."

"That's too bad."

Outside, the crows were still cawing loudly.

* * *

Half an hour later, Ami called her on her phone, telling her that she was waiting outside the shrine. As Rei followed her outside, Usagi checked the time. It was less than ten minutes to six.

"Hey, Ami," she greeted. "All done?"

"Almost."

"Oh." She remembered that Rei was still standing next to her. "Oh, yeah. Ami, this is Hino Rei. We met on the bus last week. Rei, this is Mizuno Ami. We go to the same school."

"Nice to meet you," Rei said.

Ami didn't reply immediately. She looked at Rei with deep, dark eyes, her expression unreadable. Suddenly, two shadows passed over them. Usagi looked up to see the two crows that had attacked her earlier gliding above them. She instinctively shrank behind Rei, crying softly when one dove down.

It landed on Ami's shoulder, who now had an expression of pleasant surprise.

"Whoa," Rei said. "Deimos has never done that to anyone else before."

"So your name is Deimos." Ami reached up with her left hand, stroking it tenderly. There was a smile Usagi had never seen before on her face. The crow leaned over and nuzzled against her cheek.

"Again, I have to note that my crows are being very strange today."

Usagi nodded her full agreement. She also wanted to add Ami to the list in addition to the bipolar crows.

"Hino-_san_," Ami said, finally acknowledging the dark-haired girl with a smile, "it is nice to meet you."

* * *

"What was _that_?"

Ami looked back at her briefly, an eyebrow raised. They were making their way down the steps of the shrine rather hurriedly and Ami didn't seem interested in talking.

"_That_!" Usagi repeated, as if that one vague word stated it all. "You were friendlier with the birds than with Rei."

"I thought you were well aware of the school rumour than I am fairly socially inept."

"I don't believe a single one of those rumours."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah. For example, there's that rumour you have an IQ of three hundred. Even I know that's not realistic. Why would you enrol in our school then?"

"Of course."

"And that rumour that you're cold and stuck-up." She made sure her voice was firm then. "I know personally that you're the total opposite."

The sound Ami made could almost be considered a snort. "Warm and modest?"

"Oh, _come on_," she cried frustratingly. "Why do you always do that? I am trying to connect with you. I am trying to let you know that you can think of me as your friend! Do you not trust me or something?"

"Yes."

"Yes what?"

Ami stopped at the bus stop, glancing up the road and then at her watch, before facing her. With carefully considered words, she said, "I don't…trust you with me. Wait, let me finish. I have said nothing about trusting you as a person. In fact, as our other identities, I trust that you have the heart and strength to cover my back. I am able to trust you with my life. But you must understand that I have not had a functioning friendship since I was young. You must also understand that I always think through things in a logical manner. Where you use your heart—your emotions—to decide to trust someone, I use logic. Therefore, from my perspective, we have not known each other long enough, or know enough of each other, for me to logically place absolute trust in you. Consider that in conjunction with the fact that my definition of a friend comes from a dictionary; you should agree that I am distant for a good reason."

Usagi felt like crying. It hurt that there was someone in this world with such an empty outlook in life. It hurt that Ami was that someone. And it hurt that this was one thing she was trying so hard at, but failing so miserably.

"There is the bus." Ami nodded toward the approaching vehicle, the subject dropped.

Usagi discreetly wiped her eyes. She'd show her. She would show Ami that she and Sailor Moon were one and the same.

"Are we getting on?" she asked, following Ami as she casually stepped away from the stop.

"It is too early for there to be a discernible pattern of occurrence," Ami replied. "Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Friday and Sunday again. If the enemy has chosen specific days for operation, then today, that bus belongs to the enemy. If not, it is anyone's guess."

Not far from them, a couple of schoolgirls ran out of a side path, waving their arms to catch the bus driver's attention. It pulled over at the stop, waiting. Usagi wrapped her arms around herself, trying to drive away the shiver that suddenly overwhelmed her body. Even Ami looked uncomfortable, a small twitch of her eye betraying her disgust, as she pretended to type on her phone.

"You girls coming?" the driver called out to them.

Usagi hid a flinch. That voice was unnatural no matter how normal it sounded.

"Sorry, no," Ami replied as casually as she could. "We are waiting for friends."

The doors slid close, and the bus had barely pulled out when Usagi clenched her fist, taking an instinctive step forward.

"Usagi, no," Ami said, firmly gripping her wrist, holding her back.

"It's obviously the Dark Kingdom," she exclaimed. "We have to stop them."

"It is too dangerous," Ami said calmly. "What if we can't stop the driver before the people inside vanish? I haven't found out how it works. We could be trapped ourselves."

"So we're just going to watch?" she cried.

"Yes." Ami let go of her and activated her visor. "We observe. And then we will come back tomorrow to stop them."

* * *

Jadeite stood the only person in the large strategy room, images of his dungeon dimension projected into the air above the table in front of him. He watched his subordinates working the grounds with pride, pleased at just how this single plan met all three of his objectives. All he had to do was create this energy absorbing space, and everything came together easily.

_Youma_ with shape-shifting and coercion powers were delegated to the abduction operation. In just a week, they had captured nearly a thousand humans, still unconscious in their respective buses. The humans would be allowed to rest before the life energy dropped to critical levels, and after a short period of recuperation, the process would repeat. This method suited a longer-term quota target than his original operation of mass draining.

A quarter of his remaining subordinates were delegated to searching for the Silver Crystal within each of the captured humans, while another quarter searched on Earth. This reduced the number of repeats he knew occurred more than he liked when a _Youma_ failed to kill its victim, only for that victim to be targeted again by another _Youma_.

And finally, but most important in his personal vendetta, this plan was only just large and organised enough to catch the attention of the Sailor Guardians, yet not reckless enough that the humans would be able to put two and two together anytime soon. When they found their way in, and they would, a hundred of his most powerful subordinates would be waiting.

And he would deal the final blow.

* * *

At the first sight of dawn the next day, Rei's eyes opened by sheer habit. She had been performing morning meditations daily for many years now that it was just natural for her to be up with the light. This time, though, her body still felt sluggish, her hair was a mess, and her blanket was unusually tangled around her legs.

She rubbed her eyes, the remnants of her dream flashing across her mind. It was the same dream she had been having for months—of a dead, dark mass of pure evil; of the walking dead and corrupted dolls; and of red blood. So much blood.

Evil was coming.

After a quick shower to refresh herself, Rei stepped out onto the veranda, calling for her pets. Despite how people normally see crows, Phobos and Deimos had always been there for her. They were her first and oldest friends; they gave her comfort where no human could. Ever since her mother had died, and her father had left her at the shrine for politics, Phobos and Deimos became one of her only two sources of happiness.

As she fed them, she heard her grandfather humming to himself as he swept the main path. A man who made no judgement on how she wanted to live her life; a man who was extremely overprotective of her that he yelled at patrons who accused her of witchcraft and kidnappings; a man who would laugh whenever she pretended to be annoyed at him. Of course, her loving grandfather was her other happiness.

It didn't take her long to fall into a meditative trance when she had sat in front of the Holy Fire. The outside world vanished from her senses, and all she was, was the beauty of fire—calm but ferocious, enchanting but terrifying, strong but vulnerable. And in it, she saw more of the nightmarish vision.

Finally, she caught a single clear image. A young man, a head full of short blond hair, piercing dark eyes full of anger.

He wanted her.

* * *

Usagi was surprised to find Luna waiting for her at the front gates. At Luna's silent beckoning, she followed her away from school, waiting until there was no one around to ask why they weren't waiting for Ami.

"Did you check your phone?" the cat asked instead. As Usagi immediately pulled out her phone, Luna continued. "Ami wasn't feeling well this morning and took a day off school. When she came over to your house later, she said she was feeling better and that she'd go check Sendai Hill again. She suggested I go with you."

"Sheesh, I'm not a kid, I don't need a chaperone," Usagi grumbled. Then she bent down, picking up a surprised Luna into her arms. Absently resting her chin on Luna's head, she wondered, "Was Ami really all right?"

"I…" Luna hesitated. "I don't know. I don't think so."

"You'll watch over her too, won't you? Just like you watch over me?"

"Of course. And I'm not doing it just because you're Guardians," she added. "I genuinely care for you."

Usagi smiled. "I think I'm beginning to like you too. Even though you're still a nag. But you're a cute and cuddly nag. And domesticated too, that's a plus."

"Hey." Luna's playfully offended response was cut off when Usagi squeezed her warmly.

When they caught the bus, it was relatively empty. The rumour had travelled far by now and people had become wary of this route, despite the timing indicating it was still safe. Usagi took a seat in the back and when she was sure the driver couldn't see her, she let Luna out of her schoolbag.

"So, did Ami discuss her analysis with you?"

"She told me she worked out how they are operating generally," Luna replied, "but she didn't understand some of the figures her computer produced, so she can't go into detail how the whole transporting works. But—_meow_!"

* * *

Chiba Mamoru sat at the back of the bus, a notebook folded back in his hand, gazing solemnly out the window though not really seeing anything. Scrawled in capital letters in neat handwriting at the top of the page were the words 'Find the Silver Crystal'. Below that, scribbles of questions and crossed-out store names that would worry an outsider.

'_What is the Legendary Silver Crystal?_'

'_Who am I?_'

'_Why am I doing this?_'

'_How am I doing this?_'

'_Who is Sailor Moon?_'

These questions plagued his mind, driving him to do things he never would have even considered before. Breaking into any business venue known to store jewellery with the intention to steal should he find what he was looking for was never part of his life goals. Now, after failing to find the Crystal in every store and museum in Tokyo, he was desperate enough to begin a whole new search within private residences.

It was not like him.

When the bus slowed down at the stop, the book slipped from his loose hold. With a small sigh, he awkwardly bent over in the small space, trying to reach for the book which had somehow managed to lodge itself in a hard-to-reach spot under his seat. Someone came to take a seat in front of him, settling into a quiet conversation he didn't pay much attention to.

When he got back up, the back of a girl's head topped with two buns and long, light brown hair greeted him. Immediately he recognised her, but the voice that was speaking was not hers, and there was no one else around. Curiously, he leaned forward.

The black cat's eyes widened almost comically in mid-sentence, before attempting a desperate meow.

"What was that?" the girl said, oblivious to his presence.

The cat continued meowing, looking anywhere but at him.

"Luna, what's wrong? What're you saying?"

He couldn't help himself. This was the third time he'd thought he heard the cat speak. "Yeah, Luna. What is it?"

The girl yelped, twisting around in her seat so fast her hair tails whipped him in the face. "_You_!"

Out of reflex, he held the book up in front of his face. "Please don't throw the cat at me this time."

He expected a shriek in anger, followed by something painful to his head. Certainly, he didn't expect that bottle the last time they had come across each other; he had even decided to stop his teasing after the last reaction he'd gotten and hadn't said a word to her then, when _that_ came out of nowhere.

Instead, a soft, almost apologetic voice was his response. "Did that hurt?"

He cautiously lowered his shield. "No. Not really."

"Hm." It wasn't exactly an apology, but it was perhaps a start to a non-hostile relationship.

"Are you all right?" he found himself asking.

"Huh? Why wouldn't I be?"

His mind flashed back to the alley where she ran away in tears. "I hope you understand that I really didn't mean anything when I…gave you that nickname. I promise; you won't hear that from me again now that I know you hate it that much."

"Oh." She looked a little confused, as if he was breaking down a bad image of himself she'd firmly set for him. In fact, she was so easy to read that he knew that was what was happening. "Well, I don't exactly hate it. You just caught me on a bad moment."

He was surprised at how happy he felt at that.

"In fact, you always seem to have the worst timing," she continued, her voice growing stronger with each syllable. "You're always around when I least want you. Why is that? For that matter, here you are again, when I don't have time to talk to you. Why are you on this bus? Are you stalking me or something? Seriously, who do you think you are?"

Startling even himself, he burst into an unrestrained laughter that he had not done for as long as he could remember. The girl—Motoki had told him her name before, but he couldn't recall at the moment—scowled at him; dazzling with another one of her repertoire of expressions. It was one of her strange manners that attracted him to talk to her when he would normally just excuse himself. Indeed, he would never give a friend a nickname based on his or her physical traits, let alone a stranger. If there was anything he remembered about his parents, it was that they instilled in him proper manners.

"What now?" she asked frustratingly.

He offered an apologetic grin as he calmed himself. "I'm sorry. I hope I didn't offend you."

"You did that a long time ago when you called me _odango_." Then she tilted her head to the side, eyes narrowed and lips pursed in thought. "You look better that way."

"Pardon?"

"When you're smiling like that, you don't look as lonely…" She gasped, then waved her hand sheepishly. "What am I saying? That was someone else."

_Lonely? How could she tell?_

"So?"

"So?" he repeated, puzzled.

"Explain yourself, stalker."

Leaning forward, he placed his arms across the back of the seat in front of him and rested his chin on the back of his hands. Smiling lazily, he said, "If you must know, I take this bus home from school every weekday. Hence, the meeting at the park, which is between the school and the bus stop. I get home, change and then out I go for extra lessons in the city, after which I sometimes head over to Motoki's for a chat. Hence, the rest of the encounters. I insist, it is all pure coincidence."

He didn't know why he was telling her this much.

"You're a high school student, eh?" She didn't sound like she believed him.

"If you don't believe the uniform,"—he fished out his student card—"there, Chiba Mamoru, eleventh grade, defensive midfielder of the school's soccer team, mineral enthusiast."

Again, he was revealing more information than necessary.

"Mineral what?"

"Mineral enthusiast," he repeated. "I study minerals as a hobby."

"So… A rock geek."

Feigning a horrified look, he launched into a lecture on the validity of his hobby, beginning with how it piqued his interest in the first place. If it got him when he first knew nothing, it had the higher likelihood of getting her than intricate details on random minerals.

Initially, she was resistant, insisting that it was boring and that she didn't want to listen. But he prevailed, eventually drawing a question out of her. Then another. And another. Soon, she was asking why and how, even demanding a simpler explanation when she couldn't understand.

He happily indulged her.

"Meow." The cat pulled at her skirt, drawing her attention.

"Oh shoot, I'm supposed to get off next." She fumbled for the stop button.

"Smart cat," he murmured absently.

"What?"

"Nothing." Watching the cat jump willingly into her bag, he said, "Say, I didn't get your name."

"Tsukino Usagi," she replied unhesitatingly. He took that as a sign that they were now a step forward from the strangers' label. When she waved goodbye, he felt calmly elated.

But he grew serious again when his destination was approaching. For the past week and a half, he'd felt sick every time he passed the five-way intersection. It was time he investigated.

* * *

"Chiba Mamoru, huh?" Usagi mused aloud when she got off the bus.

"That was close," Luna said. "This was the third time already. I don't know how many more times this can happen before he'll stop dismissing it."

"If you think about it, he's quite good-looking," Usagi continued.

"Usagi, get your head out of the clouds," Luna chided. "This is not the time to go crushing on a hot guy."

She blushed ferociously. "Who says I'm crushing? I'm just stating the facts. He's still annoying. I mean, what the hell was that rock preaching about?"

Just then, her phone rang.

"Ami," she answered quickly, "are you all right? Luna told me—"

"I am perfectly fine, Usagi," Ami replied, cutting off a potential ramble.

"You sure?"

"Yes. Thank you."

"Ami," she said hesitatingly, looking to Luna for encouragement, "you'll tell me if anything's wrong, right?"

"I will, Usagi." Ami took on a gentler tone. "Please don't worry about it."

"Okay." She still wasn't sure, but she'd trust Ami. "I'm at the base of Hikawa Shrine now. Where are you?"

"Just down the road. There is a strange situation going on at the intersection. I…"

"What is it?"

"I need more time to make sense of the analysis," she finally said. "Can you find something to do in the meantime?"

Usagi wasn't dumb. She knew what Ami was implying, and she didn't like it. Though she knew the idea of being trapped in some unknown place was dangerous, Usagi couldn't bear the thought that more people would be lost to the Dark Kingdom if they put off their rescue mission, even for one day.

"I'll go see if Rei's free," she said through gritted teeth. "But, I'll meet you down there at a quarter to six."

Ami didn't argue, and Usagi took pride in her ability to make a stand against the other girl.

At the top of the steps, a quick glance told her that the only people around were herself and a small group of girls in the same school uniform as Rei's. They were arguing loudly about something, and unnecessarily curiously, she casually walked toward them.

Rei was facing the four others, arms crossed and looking irritated.

"Hey, Rei," Usagi said, coming up next to her.

"Oh, Usagi." She tried to nudge her away. "Now isn't a good time. Feel free to go in. I'll come by shortly."

Usagi refused to budge. "What's going on?"

"This is none of your business," one of the schoolgirls said, followed by choruses of agreement from the rest of her clique.

"Well, you're disturbing my friend," she returned adamantly. "It kinda makes it my business."

"Usagi, I can handle this," Rei insisted. "Please."

"Yeah," the one who appeared to be the leader said again. "Go. This is between us and the filthy witch."

Rei only winced, but Usagi was furious. "What stupid nonsense are you sprouting about Rei?"

"Nothing but the truth," the leader said arrogantly. "If you're her friend, you must know she's always talking to that fire of hers. I bet she casts hexes with it too."

"Oh, yeah, sure," Usagi replied sarcastically. "Rei's a _miko_ so she's definitely a witch. In that case, you better leave her alone or you'll find yourself a face full of warts tomorrow."

"Usagi," Rei murmured, trying to appease the escalating tension between them.

"Is that a threat?" The leader stood up to her full height, trying to look intimidating. Considering Usagi was quite short, it was working. Four against two wasn't a good odd, and she didn't know how capable was she when not transformed.

"Okay, no, it's not. Rei's too nice," she corrected. "But I'm not. See, I'm a _miko_'s friend, so by association, I must be witch too. Look, I have a black cat and all." She picked up Luna and held her up toward the girls. Luna decided to play along, hissing wildly and waving her extended claws at them.

The girls reared back, fear of a wild animal evident on their faces. "That means noth—"

"Don't cross the black cat!" Fed up, Usagi threw Luna at them, who growled in annoyance at her, but still played her role perfectly. At the same time, the two crows who had been watching from the branches above dove down and joined Luna in chasing the screaming girls away.

Usagi was laughing hysterically, nearly toppling to the ground if not for Rei, who was also having a difficult time controlling herself.

"Oh my god, Usagi," Rei cried, clutching her midsection, "where did you come up with such things?"

Usagi struggled for breath, unable to reply. When Luna came back, the girls were no longer in sight. The crows landed next to Luna; one of them flared its wings at her. Luna merely hissed and both crows backed away.

"And Luna proves dominant," Usagi pointed out.

"Too bad, Phobos," Rei cooed at the crow.

Usagi narrowed her eyes at the crows, which had now resorted to glaring at her. "How can you tell the difference?"

"When I was young, they came to me and told me their names," Rei replied softly. Then she smiled, embarrassed. "Well, at least that's what I remember as a four-year-old. It's probably quite distorted from reality, given the circumstances of that day."

"What happened on that day?" Usagi asked.

"My mother passed away."

"I'm so sorry." She kicked herself for not thinking before she spoke.

"Well, it's a long time ago." Rei waved it off. "There are no patrons again today, so I'm free. Would you like a tour this time? As long as I get to hold Luna, of course. You'd have to leave if you refuse."

"Of course." Usagi grinned. "As long as your crows don't attack me again out of jealousy."

"Of course."

* * *

At twenty to six, Usagi headed down the hill, her gait light. Naru had always said she knew no boundaries when it came to getting to know someone. Sometimes, she only figured out too late that the recipient was not interested in a friendship and was annoyed by her. Other times, like with Rei and even Makoto, her persistent, or rather oblivious, attitude got her a friend. The whole time, Rei had appeared cheerful and amicable. When Usagi wanted to leave, Rei, rather strangely and anxiously, suddenly wanted to accompany her until she found Ami.

And then there were the very rare times when she didn't know where she stood. Ami was neither receptive nor put off by her advances to be friends, and it frustrated her to no end. But she forced herself to be patient. She had come to terms that she was not at fault, but that it was Ami's own uncertainty about her feelings that resulted in this situation. She'd just keep showing Ami what having a friend was like.

It wasn't difficult to spot Ami at the intersection. She was the lone girl at her side of the road; at this time, there weren't any vehicles or bystanders around.

"Hey, Ami."

"Good evening." Unexpectedly, Ami did not have her computer out. She was just standing there, staring out into the middle of the intersection.

"What do we have?" Luna asked.

"A sort of…dimensional exchange." Ami frowned, clearly agitated by the unknown. "The bus starts its route normal, is transferred to another plane and all the driver seems to be aware of is that he is still on his usual route, but there is no one hailing him. On this plane, the Dark Kingdom's vehicle replaces it and picks up the usual passengers. When it passes into that space,"—she pointed at the centre of the intersection—"it returns to where it came from and the normal bus appears in its place."

"Can we close it?" Luna suggested.

"We can possibly distort it enough to destroy its direction and render it inaccessible," Ami said vaguely. "But who is to say they won't open another someplace else?"

"Why are we even talking about closing—what is it? A portal?" Usagi threw her hands up for effect. "The important thing is that we have to rescue those people. Right?"

Luna's tone softened. "Your heart is in the right place, Usagi. But it's also important that we can rescue them safely."

"Can we?"

Slowly, Ami nodded. "It is not a one-way portal, so to an extent, yes. But we don't know what's on the other side, and how to control the portal, so…"

"So we go in and find out," Usagi said.

"I just need one more day—"

"Are you serious?" she yelled.

"Ami's right," Luna cut in before she could go on. "It's just too dan—" Her ears twitched, and she looked back up the hill. "Those crows are being awfully noisy for some reason."

Ami glanced at her watch. "Six o'clock."

Time seemed to pass painfully slowly before the front of the bus showed itself. It looked like a perfectly normal public transport vehicle, but just the sight of it made Usagi sick. She knew it was the Dark Kingdom. Aware that Ami had moved slightly in front of her, she clenched her fists—both from anger at the other girl wanting to hold her back, and the disgust she felt as the bus rolled past.

A single, sleeping face stood out in one of the windows.

_They got Rei!_

Usagi's feet moved on their own, darting around Ami onto the road.

"Usagi, no!"

She transformed, taking a final, desperate leap toward the back of the bus.

"Usagi! Ami!"

* * *

Mamoru watched the two girls from behind a lamppost, curious about their gestures that seemed to frequently point out the centre of the intersection. While he had earlier noticed the short-haired one staring intently at the spot, he was surprised to find Usagi interested in it too.

_Do they know something about it?_

Usagi seemed agitated and the other girl looked no better. And he was now absolutely certain the cat could talk.

_Who are they?_

Suddenly, their attention went to the top of the hill. He followed their gazes, frowning at the dark vibes the bus was emitting. His blood boiled and he felt himself changing. No doubt, it was the exact same sensation he got whenever he came across members of the Dark Kingdom. As if hurting people wasn't enough, now they were abducting humans. He seethed at their cruelty.

"Usagi, no!"

His gaze returned to the girls, just in time to see a flash of white light surround Usagi. When the light vanished, Sailor Moon was in her place, jumping for the vehicle. His eyes widened, and suddenly, all he wanted to do was go after her.

_Usagi is Sailor Moon?_

As he dashed forward, his mind raced along with him. How was it possible? Why hadn't he noticed it? What was she doing? It was reckless! He had to protect her!

The other girl ran after Sailor Moon, transforming into the one he recognised from the Crystal Seminar event. She managed to catch onto the bus as it was disappearing.

"Usagi! Ami!" the cat shouted. It chased after the girls, holding something in its mouth, which it then tried to throw to them.

The other girl—Ami—reached out for it, but it slipped through her fingers. Without thinking, Mamoru dove for the item, then threw with all his might toward the girls. And then they were just gone. He couldn't tell if they caught it.

_Was it important? _he thought frantically, dropping to his knees. He felt defeated, useless. He wanted to be there with them. He wanted to protect her!

"Please," he whispered, pleading as he stared at the area where she had vanished into. "Please, be safe."

* * *

**_A/N: _**_I usually prefer to keep Author's Notes at a minimum, but I have to say this: I want to apologise for how I ended this chapter. The Mamoru section didn't flow as nicely as I wanted - it feels a little...jumpy with the style of narration - so I'm sorry to give you something I'm not quite satisfied with. If I find a way to write it better, I'll edit it._

_While I have this up, I guess I'll reply to reviews here, rather than through PMs._

_LoveInTheBattleField: Thank you again for reading, and reviewing. I hope you will continue to enjoy it._

_PrincessAnnastacia: I'm glad you're warming up to Ami. She may have gotten a little worse this chapter, but she'll get better. Thanks for reading and reviewing._

_V41N: Thank you. I'm glad you're enjoying this take. It's encouraging.  
_


	6. Versatile Fire, Part II

_**Chapter Six: Versatile Fire, Part II**_

The brightness of the day was replaced by blackness and the sudden change of the light made Usagi disorientated. She felt suffocated and weak, as if someone was pressing on her chest and holding her arms down. And then she was falling. There was nothing but dark, damp air around her, until something rammed into her right side.

Usagi's eyes popped open; she gasped in pain. An instant later, she felt her body moving again and then another burst of agony engulfed her. She rolled to her side on the ground, eyes brimming with tears. In the back of her mind, she knew was in enemy territory and it was the only thing keeping her from screaming.

"You saw it too?"

"Two humans falling off that last load? Yeah."

She panicked; those monstrous voices were so close. Looking around for a place to run to, all she could make out was that she was lying between two large containers, propped up on wheels. Through the space under the bottom of the container—a bus, she realised—on her left, she saw two sets of legs heading her way.

She tried to move away, but every movement burned into her side.

_Oh, no. Oh, no no._

Something grabbed her right arm, tugging her under the right bus and covering her mouth before she could cry out. Ami came into view, a finger to her lips. And then they waited, barely breathing until the two _Youma_ sentries were no longer in sight.

Gently, Ami removed her hands from her side, lightly touching the sore area on her side. "Take a deep breath," she said softly.

Usagi did as she was told, hissing at the sharp stabbing pain that came up.

Ami nodded once. "You will be fine. Just try not to move too much."

"While we're surrounded by monsters?"

"Remember when I said we have accelerated self-healing?"

She vaguely recalled the scraped knee and the conversation in the park.

"I don't have data to say how long it will take for you to fully recover," Ami said, "but not agitating it further will definitely aid the recovery. Now, turn onto your injured side and take slow, deep breaths. Lightly cough once in a while. Good. All right, I am going to leave you here just for a short moment while I assess our situation."

"Wait." Usagi grabbed her hand anxiously. "I don't think you should go out there alone. You don't have offensive powers."

"I will be careful."

"But…"

"You want to save Hino-_san_, don't you?" Ami said. "This place is not normal. Just being here drains our energy. We are fortunate that our bodies adapt quickly as Guardians, but normal humans don't have that immunity. Every second counts. When you recover, we have to move immediately."

"But you're hurt too." Her eyes travelled down to Ami's right foot. It had not move at all as far as she could tell.

"I landed wrongly," Ami admitted, "but it is only a very mild heel fracture." Activating her visor, she peered around the area at ground level. "I don't see any sentries in the vicinity. I will just take a quick visual of the area, all right?"

Without waiting for her response, Ami slid out from under the bus, nimbly climbing to her feet, though it was clear to Usagi that she was putting hardly any weight on her right leg. With a pivot, she limped to one end of the bus, paused, and continued through the many blocks of buses. Usagi watched her closely, wondering anxiously why she was going so far away. When she could only just make out the blue pair of boots about five buses away, Ami stopped and reached down, picking up something small. Then the boots and hand disappeared.

Usagi exhaled sharply, her body tensed. Her mind raced with terrifying possibilities. She was ready pull herself out when she noticed light thudding sounds. The last thud ended with Ami dropping down in front of her.

"You scared me," she whispered as Ami slid down next to her. "I thought a _Youma_ got you."

"I'm sorry." Ami looked down, incomprehensible words and labels flashing across her visor. She frowned. "This isn't good. I overestimated our healing abilities. At this rate, you won't fully recover until Thursday morning at the earliest."

"But the pain's lifting," she said. "I think I can run, and there's not much movement involved in throwing my tiara around. How about you?"

"Like I said, a mild fracture. Other than the swelling, I can put weight on it without trouble."

"All right. So, what's the plan?"

Ami produced her computer, showing her the image of the area. "We are looking at something like a wall-less room, a dimensional space without bounds. However, approximately twenty hectares of the area is occupied by a hundred plus buses. They are lined in clusters, but I think there is more organisation behind the arrangement. For example, this group of buses we are in belong to the province of Gyeongbuk in South Korea. I would need to know the origin of other groups before I can obtain a pattern of the organisation. That way, it'd be easier to find the Tokyo group."

"So you're saying we'd have to be walking around aimlessly," Usagi said slowly.

"Unfortunately, yes."

"Fine, let's go."

Usagi followed behind Ami as they wandered around the cluster of buses; her attention was on any sounds of approaching _Youma_ while Ami focussed on the bus signs. The area was not crawling with sentries, but there were always at least two patrolling each group of buses. If not for Ami's scanners, they would have been caught long ago.

Half an hour later, they were hiding under a bus Usagi noticed was from somewhere in China from the written signs. A small group of _Youma_ were talking amongst each other, loud enough that Usagi could just make out that they were discussing about the mishap from the last Juuban load. Two figures were spotted dropping from the last bus, and while they were just as likely to be simple humans, every _Youma_ was to keep a look out for the Sailor Guardians, who they should be expecting to break in anytime soon, if not already.

Usagi smiled ironically. _Here we are._

Unfortunately, she knew it meant that the enemy was on high alert and that they had fallen into a trap with the only condolence being that the enemy had not yet shut its doors.

Beside her, Ami had closed her eyes and was muttering inaudibly to herself. Then her eyes snapped open.

"Of course," she whispered excitedly, "they are arranged in order of longitude pos—"

"Shh!" Usagi clamped her hands over Ami's mouth, but it was too late.

"They're here!"

Ami cursed, and began shoving her out. "Go. Back the way we came. Quickly!"

Usagi scrambled out, barely dodging the blade that came for her neck as soon as she was out. The _Youma_ stood above her, demonic face contorted in a frightful grin and sharp, glinting blades for hands thrust at her.

"Master Jadeite will be please," it growled.

Suddenly, blue boots came into view, whipping out from under the bus to sweep the creature off its feet. Ami came out soon after, grabbing Usagi's hand and pulling her to her feet, dragging her along as they ran as fast as they could.

Somehow, they managed to lose their pursuers, but now, every demonic sentry was on full alert. If it was possible—and it likely was—the air felt thicker, as if the room itself was targeting them. Usagi was struggling to breathe, her chest screaming for relief from the pain of her injured ribs. Unexpectedly, Ami was panting heavily too, her face pale. Her steps were not as precise, and she often changed her mind about the direction she wanted to head in.

It was Ami who had to stop first, dropping to her knees as she gasped for air, clutching her chest.

"A—Mercury, what's wrong?" Usagi asked urgently, quickly scanning the area around her. They were out in the open; the nearest bus was at least twenty metres away and she could still hear the thundering of demonic footsteps.

Ami tried to get up, but she looked as if she were about to pass out. Usagi quickly threw the other girl's arm around her shoulders, supporting her to her feet despite her own pain. It was instinct, strange as it was with her lack of battle experience, that told her to dive down, saving them from an attack from behind. The lance exploded against the ground, but as there was no concrete flooring, it fizzled into nothing rather than showering them with debris.

Immediately, her hand went to her tiara, powering it up as she studied her situation, as Luna had ingrained in her to do in all her trainings.

There were two _Youma_ along with the lance-thrower, all terrifying in their own right with long, pointed claws and fangs dripping with black saliva. In front of her, five more blocked her way, though they were more humanoid-looking. Too late she realised that lacking claws and fangs did not mean they were any less powerful.

Usagi wrapped her arms around Ami's waist and leaped back from the stream of burning flames that came their way. Her counterattack was swift, though she still lacked precision, especially against moving targets. Only one _Youma_ went down from her attack; the others spread out, weapons and magical projectiles at the ready.

A quick glance down told her that Ami was still incapacitated. Colour was returning to her skin, but her breathing was still short and laboured.

Making a quick decision, she ran toward the humanoid-looking group, swinging her attack in a wide arc to distract them. While their numbers were still higher despite losing one, she would have more time to try to defeat them before the armed group reached her for close combat. Though she was not as agile as she'd like—especially with her busted rib—and her opponents knew how to take advantage of it, there was no doubt that her attack was swift and powerful. It was easy enough to prevent _Youma_ from attacking her directly when they were busy avoiding her tiara that flew around dangerously.

Now, if only she could keep this up without them figuring out that her control was not actually as good as it looked. She hadn't actually hit an enemy so far.

She slipped between buses, above and under buses; she dodged magical projectiles, flaming, freezing or invisible. By some combination of miracle and training, she was still surviving with only minor scrapes and bruises.

Unfortunately, the second group of close-combat _Youma_ had finally joined the fray, forcing her desperation at having to face seven foes alone. Fortunately, her extravagant display of being in the open did its work to turn their attention away from Ami.

She ducked a swing of a blade, but was immediately thrown aside by a mallet-shaped arm. She had hardly regained her senses when a destructive beam came at her head. She rolled as it hit the side of the bus with enough force to penetrate the steel. Taking advantage of the momentary yells amongst her opponents at what turned out to be a forbidden damage, she managed to take down two more.

They were more wary now, being more restrained with their attacks, especially now that she stayed close to the buses. But she knew she had to quickly defeat or lose them; reinforcements would surely arrive soon.

Suddenly, the air turned cold. Thick, ghostly fog swirled around her legs, then came rushing up to them as if carried by non-existent winds. She smiled. Ami was all right and she'd be ending this confrontation soon.

As if on cue, she felt the familiar presence next to her before she saw it through the chilly fog. Ami took her hand, guiding her as she whispered the relative positions of the confused and blinded _Youma_. Three demonic screams sounded out, serving to elevate the final two's tension.

Usagi spotted one on the other side of the bus in front of her through the windows. It remained still, but its stance indicated it was on alert. It would have to be last as she wasn't able to manipulate her attack at such an angle around the bus. That left the only blade-wielding _Youma_ still standing nearby.

* * *

Jadeite couldn't help the smile that crept up on his face as the statistics rose in his favour on the screen in front of him. His quota had already been met long before it was due, efficiency was the highest it had ever been and almost half of his territory had been ascertained to not hold the Silver Crystal. While the latter was not ideal, and he'd rather the Crystal was found sooner rather than later and from within in his territory, it showed his diligence, which was sufficient in the eyes of his leader, despite her almost sadistic demands.

"So, what's this I hear about a secret plan of yours?"

He frowned at the teasing, almost discounting remark of the older general. Nephrite appeared out of the shadows next to him, getting a good look at the screen before he switched it off.

"Just that it's doing much better than you," he retorted, crossing his arms triumphantly.

"Really?" Nephrite drawled, feigning disinterest. "How about a share, eh?"

"Perhaps," he said vaguely. "Once I achieve my objectives."

Nephrite shrugged. "From what I saw, you'd be Queen Beryl's favourite for the coming weeks."

"Not that objective."

"Hmm." The other general turned on his heel and draped himself comfortably on one of the large wooden chairs. "I don't have to remind you that you should be careful how far you reach, should I?"

"Is that wrong?"

"Just looking out for you, little man," he said. Though it sounded derogatory, Jadeite knew it was just his way of showing concern, albeit in a very irritating manner.

"I can take care of myself."

"One has to wonder sometimes, when it comes to your temper," another voice spoke up. The oldest general, Kunzite, made his presence known, the platinum of his long hair and silver trim of his uniform glinting under the room's light. Though his territory of the Middle East was the smallest, the man was by no means small in stature or title. His height and bulk towered the other_ Shitennou_ impressively; his imposing strength in power and leadership ability confirmed his highest rank in the Dark Kingdom.

Beside him, the youngest, Zoisite stood with his usual composed demeanour. Though he hardly said much, he was still well-regarded to be an efficient commander of the European division. Out of all the _Shitennou_, he was the one Jadeite least trusted. It wasn't that his taciturnity unnerved him, but that his eyes always seemed so unnaturally…clear.

Jadeite scowled at the two newest visitors. "Don't you all have your own businesses to deal with? It's bad enough Nephrite always seems to find time off to annoy me."

At his name, Nephrite grinned. "It's what I do best."

"You are being reckless, Jadeite," Kunzite said. "In so many ways."

"No need to concern yourself," he replied. "I know to how to stop before I overexert myself."

Nephrite frowned. "Wait. Are you expanding _your_ own energy into this operation? How big a world did you create?"

"I do not need to explain myself to you, Nephrite," he gritted.

"But you do, to me." Kunzite stood up regally to his full height, demanding respect.

"And I acknowledge your warning."

"Then you need to stop the abduction. The humans cannot know of our existence."

"Pitiful creatures." He scoffed.

"Jadeite," Kunzite warned sternly. "They may be individually weak, but their numbers are far greater than ours. If their military gets involved, it will pose problems, especially if our master has not awakened."

"I know that," he snapped. Kunzite was generally the most cautious of them all, and he had heard enough of his admonitions. "Soon, I promise. Within a day or two."

Just then, the the room flashed red once, and one of his highly-regarded subordinates shimmered into form at the opposite end of the room.

His lips curled up gleefully. "Or now."

* * *

"In here!"

Usagi hastily pried open the bus door, helping Ami inside before closing it firmly. It was one of the few buses that did not have glass panes in their doors, providing the best cover as they huddled together at the base of the steps. Holding their breath, the two girls did not move as _Youma_ ran around through the slowly thinning fog. Eventually, most of their pursuers appeared to have left for another area further away.

When she was confident it was safe enough, Usagi scrambled further up the steps to give the other girl space. Ami was hunched over her knees, eyes squeezed shut as her arms hung limply by her side. Blood spurted heavily from the long gash on the back of her left shoulder.

"Oh, god, Ami," Usagi said anxiously. "What do I…shit…what do I do?"

Ami was practically trembling from the pain, barely able to speak through gritted teeth.

"Back bow…" Every word was a struggle. "Direct…pressure…"

Usagi wanted to squirm; she had never seen so much blood before, and the sight of torn flesh and bone made her sick. She tore off the bow on her back, haphazardly folding it into several layers and laying it on the wound. When she pressed her palms down, more blood spurted out between her fingers under the cloth, splatters decorating her uniform red. Ami moaned.

"It's not—" She was panicking. "Ami…what… Oh my god, am I doing it right? Shit…"

But Ami wasn't answering her, her face contorted in agony as she tried to control her breathing. Usagi bit her lip. She contemplated searching the bus for a first aid kit, but the blood-flow seemed to have slowed down considerably. It was with heavy determination that she kept pressing on the wound, knowing full well how much it hurt the other girl.

Though she kept a straight face concentrating on her task, inside, she was beating herself up at her stupidity. Ami had been by her side, guiding her. She had told her where to aim and every target was destroyed with accuracy. So why did she waste time wondering about that single _Youma_ that was the furthest away and wasn't moving? Why did she bother about whether she would be able to hit it or not? Why did she lose focus for just that one second of not listening to Ami? That one second could be utilised against the blade-wielding _Youma_ before it came at them. If she had destroyed it when she was told to, Ami wouldn't have had to shove her out of the way and got hurt in her stead.

"I'm sorry." Tears streamed down her cheeks unbidden. "I'm so sorry."

If only she hadn't run after that bus, if she had given Ami the one day she needed, they wouldn't have been so unprepared.

What seemed like an hour passed without either of them talking. Exhaustion had crept up to Usagi and her arms felt cramped, but the pain at her side had reduced to a dull throb. Ami had either fainted or gone into shock as she had barely moved the whole time.

Usagi startled when she felt light shuffling under her hands and Ami lifted her head off her knees. Grimacing, she turned her head to the side and rested it down again. Usagi couldn't bring herself to look her in the eyes.

"I guess that answers the question," Ami muttered.

She swallowed. "What question?"

"How I feel about our relationship."

_She hates me._

Usagi wanted to cry again. Apparently, her tear ducts had not dried out from her earlier silent weeps.

"I'm sorry, Usagi."

_Please don't say it._

"I made you tolerate such terrible attitude for so long, I don't know how to say it now."

_Oh god, no._

Ami smiled softly, throwing her off. "Would it be horrible of me to say I want to be your friend after all?"

She blinked, stunned. She wasn't sure if she heard that right. Maybe the heat and the stifling bus were getting to her. She had expected the other girl to be absolutely outraged at her many mistakes today. One did not make friends over a potentially fatal injury the other caused.

"But…but…" She stammered, her hands shook. Ami hissed, backing away from her. Usagi drew back bloody, cold gloves. "I don't understand."

Ami took a moment to study her, then nodded ever so slightly, as if coming to a conclusion based on her reaction.

"Usagi, how did I get hurt?"

"Because of me," she replied meekly.

"Think specifically."

"The _youma_?"

"More."

"The _youma_ slashed you when you pushed me aside."

"Good. Now, focus on that point."

Usagi was confused. How was focusing on the fact that Ami got hurt from protecting her important? She had lost focus, she had been stupid; that was how Ami got hurt.

"Usagi, don't drift. Why did I push you aside?"

"To save me?" _No, that can't be right._ "But, if I hadn't—"

"Usagi." She reeled back at how fierce that sounded. "Forget the blame that you have been putting on yourself the past hour. That is not important. I risked my good arm, my life, for you. I wouldn't have done that if I didn't think of you as more than a simple acquaintance. No one would. Understand that."

_Understand? But how?_

"It's not that easy." She chuckled tiredly. "I mean, I've been beating myself up for hours and then you're suddenly telling me to forget it. That it's all good?"

Ami dropped her gaze to her injured arm, biting her lower lip. "It is not all good."

The strained expression on her face worried Usagi. She then realised that Ami was trying to move it. Unsuccessfully.

"Is it…" She couldn't bring herself to finish the question.

"I don't know," Ami said, the slightest hint of a sob accompanying her words. She exhaled slowly. "But you have managed to stop the bleeding and I am feeling better than I should, so I believe the accelerated healing is working. Anyway, what is your answer?"

"Huh?"

"Can you forgive me? Are we…friends?"

Her mind was racing. It had always been difficult for her to connect with the other girl. She was aware of how different they were, in both personality and approach to situations. Yet, she kept trying. Not because she considered it a challenge, or that she wanted to build their relationship as fellow Guardians; it was selfishness. She just wanted Ami as a friend.

But now that she got what she wanted, it was difficult to process the first good thing in her life in so long. Since the last couple of years, she had felt something missing; she was unsure of what she wanted to do, of where she wanted to go. Then a strange cat came into her life and gave her no choice but to fight monsters. Naru nearly got seriously hurt, and now they were trapped in enemy territory with death a hair's breath away.

And then just one action turned her world just a little positively. Was it really as simple as that?

Ami stared at her, more curious than expectant. That was Ami; she viewed things through logical thought processes. It was the opposite of how Usagi worked.

A smile crept up her face._ Hell, that's right. Since when do I overthink things?_

Ami chuckled. "That certainly took you long enough."

Usagi laughed along, feeling the lightest she had felt in so long. "You _could_ wait for my answer."

"Not necessary, especially when we are pressed for time."

She mocked a pout. "Way to spoil the mood."

"It is my role in this partnership," Ami said, feigning a prideful tone. "We have to end this soon."

She nodded. If she still had any qualms about before, she would work it out later. "What's the plan? I can't wait to get out of here. It smells foul." A dreadful thought came to her. "You don't think…"

Ami went to stand up. After checking that there were no _Youma_ in the vicinity, Usagi helped her. The bus was a quarter full of unconscious human bodies slumped in their seats. Ami reached over with her uninjured hand to check the pulse of the nearest person. With a frown, she fumbled for her visor.

"They are alive," she said. "The smell is probably a combination of the heat and week-long filth. It is strange; how are they still alive without food and water? I wonder if the enemy has the ability to control or slow down their bodily functions."

Usagi recalled the memory of her first fight with the _Youma_ and how it made living zombies of the humans whose energy it had drained. "Uh huh, definitely. So, what do we do?"

"I am afraid you won't be happy to hear this."

Usagi raised an eyebrow. "Anything that gets us and these people out is fantastic in my books."

"That is the problem. Even if I can find the exit, we don't have the power or time to send everyone back to their respective homes. The only plan I can think of is that we call out the one responsible for this dimensional space—Jadeite, maybe—and strike a deal or defeat him."

"I vote we beat the crap out of him."

Ami sighed. "Even if defeating him will return these people, which I highly doubt, I don't think we can win. Jadeite is more experienced and he may have attacks as powerful as yours, if not more. And as I am, I will be useless in a fight." Her voice dropped. "I was already useless before this. Usagi, I'm sorry."

"Hey, don't be. At least we found out I'm not so bad in the fighting department. That's a confidence booster against the bigger bad." She turned sombre. "But what happened? Do you have asthma or something?"

Ami hesitated. "Yeah."

"You should have told me before," Usagi chided. "That was really dangerous."

"I am sorry," she repeated, sounding ashamed. "It had never really been a problem. I suspect Guardian-level endurance doesn't come from an absolute magical source."

"What?"

"Never mind. I digress." She raised her right hand, holding up a cylindrical item. "This is what you won't like about the plan."

Usagi caught her breath, remembering that Ami had picked something up earlier. "Is that a transformation pen?"

Ami nodded.

"So, that means…" She trailed off, recalling the gaze Luna had given her at the bus. Sadly, she noted that as much as she wanted to at the moment, she could not hate Luna, who had not broken her promise. It was she who had failed to protect the innocents.

No, she had not failed yet. There was still a chance. That new transformation pen would be a last resort. She would ensure it so.

"We try negotiating first," she said firmly.

"Ignoring first the fact that we have nothing to negotiate with, if it fails?"

"We attack. And we'd do so without awakening her."

"How?"

"A one-shot stealth attack?"

"One, simultaneously preparing a stealth attack while negotiating is impossible if we both face Jadeite," Ami began. "Two, they know there are two of us, so having one of us negotiate while the other waits is out of the question." She tilted her head in a new thought. "We could say that I died from exsanguination, so it is plausible for you to be alone. But I don't have an offensive attack."

It seemed hopeless if Ami kept poking holes at every suggestion she gave. That was until she remembered she had more than attacks in her arsenal.

* * *

Jadeite listened as his captain earnestly briefed him about the break-in and their responses to the two Guardians. He noted how the _Youma_'s voice dropped as it brought up their casualty number, then rose when it declared one of the Guardians had been severely injured and was not expected to survive for much longer, then dropped again when it acknowledged that both Guardians had eluded them for now.

"And you say the Guardians came in with this load?" He gestured toward the latest container from Japan.

"Yes, sir."

_That's almost enough to say that they operated exclusively in Tokyo_. He made a mental note to send a recon group to source out potential allies of the Guardians the moment this operation was over.

"Master Jadeite," a _Youma_ called, stepping out of the bus. "We found something that might interest you."

Another stepped out behind it, a female human in its hand. She was young, one they called a teenager, dressed in some traditional human attire. Her head lolled about from the _Youma_'s rough treatment and her eyes were half-slits in a daze. Though she was being held up and dragged, her feet moved along as they walked. It was a strong indication that she was still conscious, when no normal human in his world should be.

"Her energy level is abnormally high," the _Youma_ claimed. "She may possess the Silver Crystal."

As Jadeite took her into his arms, his breath caught when he got a better look at her face. He couldn't resist stroking her fair and smooth cheek, so warm to the touch. He relished the feel of her soft and sweetly-scented black hair. When she made a sound and tried to move her face away from his hand, he thought it endearing, rather than be concerned at her unusual strength.

_How beautiful_, he thought, cupping her chin and staring into her half-closed eyes lined with luscious long eyelashes.

"Sir, we found her," he heard someone said in the distance. "We found Sailor Moon."

"And where is her body?" he asked distractedly, still mesmerised by her beauty.

The pause made him look up, scowling in irritation.

"She demands a meet with you," the _Youma_ said. "She says she wishes to negotiate; she doesn't want to fight now that her partner had lost her life."

"A negotiation?" He spat. "She should have been dead as well before she even got to open her mouth. What are you doing being her messenger?"

The _Youma_ bowed hurriedly. "Forgive me, Master Jadeite. But she says she can give you what you want."

He stood up straighter, tightening his hold on the young woman lying in his arms. Perhaps she could be his after all.

"Bring her."

Less than a minute later, the familiar form of the one he had so desired to see dead came into view. She stopped five metres from him, weight evenly placed on both feet, arms resting by the side. Her eyes were sharp and constantly shifting, studying her situation with a care he would never grant her. He had to admit he was marginally impressed at her progress before reminding himself that at the rate she was improving, she was more trouble than he initially thought.

"Sailor Moon," he greeted with a wicked smile. "Welcome."

She said nothing, her stance indicating her readiness to jump into battle if necessary. Her eyes flickered to the girl in his arms.

He decided he would have her eyes first. "You have what I want?"

"It depends," she said slowly.

Her tongue was next.

"Do you have the Silver Crystal or not?" he bellowed, his temper rising at her vagueness.

She blinked. "You have to return the people you've abducted back to their respective homes."

"That is all you wish for my consideration in this deal?" He was more than happy to oblige; the Silver Crystal was worth more than the billions of humans of Earth.

"You will also let me and my partner leave."

He arched an eyebrow. "I was told she's dead."

"Her body."

He was giddy at the thought of having the Silver Crystal in his hands, but his scorned pride would not allow him to let Sailor Moon live. He could agree to release the humans; they would fall soon enough when he delivered the Crystal to Queen Beryl. But Sailor Moon would have to die.

"No," he said. The _Shitennou_ never lied. Their honour was everything. "I will release the humans. But you will stay."

She clenched her jaw, thinking.

"Well?" He waved his free hand impatiently, the movement causing the girl in his arms to groan.

"You understand that all humans include that girl too, don't you?"

"Of course." The _Shitennou_ did not lie. He would make the girl his. She would either be his slave, or his lover; he did not know yet. But she would be released as promised. And he would find her again after disposing of the wretched Sailor Moon. "Do we have a deal?"

She raised her arms, right hand under the left. Her eyes narrowed in concentration at the space above her palm. Slowly, something began to form, little beads of sparkle catching whatever light came at it. His grin widened. But she stopped when it was still a vague form of a diamond.

"Your turn," she said tersely. He frowned at how her voice shook.

"It's not fully formed!"

"Insurance."

"Fine." He threw his hands apart, letting the girl fall to the ground to prove his point. He waved at the nearest bus. First the occupants disappeared, then the useless container dissolved. "The rest will go when you bring out the Silver Crystal."

She faltered. She seemed unnerved by his willingness to be true to the agreement. Suddenly, her knees buckled and her face contorted in a painful grimace. The Crystal wavered.

_Something's wrong._ He eyed the object in her hands carefully, furiously coming to the realisation that it was just water manipulated into the shape of a cut stone.

He roared. "You dare trick me?"

The water in her hands burst outward in a powerful stream of cold, dense fog, obstructing his vision. It was fortunate for him that he happened to be facing the next attack or the glowing disc would surely be his end. Dodging it by the narrowest of margins, he heard someone curse loudly.

"This is my world," he screamed, extending his powers and solidifying the obstructive water. "You will not make fools of me again!"

Eerie howls of anger joined him as his subordinates joined in what would be the slaughter of two ants. He seethed, spittle forming at the corners of his mouth as he began to draw on all of his powers.

He would crush them with his own two hands.

* * *

_This is bad. This is so very bad._

Usagi leapt from bus to bus, dodging attacks from all sides. She held her glowing tiara in her hand, using it as a rounded blade against any _Youma_ that came near. More fell this way, but it was taking a lot out of her to keep her attack powered. She had to defeat Jadeite before exhaustion took her over.

She had lost track of Ami after the she had undone the disguise and dragged Rei away from the open fray. She had to get back to them soon. With this many _Youma_ around, there was no place for the two to hide, and Ami was still in no condition to fight.

In a single moment when there were no attacks, Usagi dropped to the ground, pressing her back against the side of a bus. Seconds later, shadows passed overhead as the enemy continued to search for her atop buses. She depowered her tiara, allowing herself a few moments rest while imagining the layout of the area.

She cursed when she realised Ami would likely be on the other side of the cluster, as it was nearer to her and had less _Youma_ at the time of her escape. But before she could make her way over, a loud, monstrous voice boomed throughout the space.

"Sailor Moon!"

She flinched. That voice promised pain and death.

"Come out or your partner dies!"

Ami's voice of reasoning resonated in her head, stopping her from immediately complying. Jadeite would carry out his threat, but he would not do so straightaway or risk losing his only trump card too early. She had a short moment to construct a plan.

"Every second you make me wait I will cut off one finger!"

She jumped out into the open, waving her hands in the air as she called his name. "I'm here! Jadeite, I'm here. Wait, please."

With her hands still in the air, she slowly walked toward him, desperately praying for an opportunity to come her way. Jadeite grinned maniacally as he waited for her, one arm snaked around Ami's neck, forcing her on her toes. Rei was on her knees next to them, wobbling in her daze. She was blinking incessantly at an object lying on the ground next to her hands, a red symbol glowing on her forehead. All around them, _Youma_ stood atop buses, leering at her as she made her way to the three.

Jadeite began to laugh; a deep guffaw that sent shivers down her back. When she was close enough, he stopped, and pointed a finger at her.

"I win," he breathed.

The tip of his index finger glowed a frightening yellow. In the corner of her eye, she saw Rei lurched forward clumsily, one hand reaching for the object in front of her.

_I'm sorry, Rei._

Bright red light the colour of the rising sun enveloped the area, blinding and enchanting at the same time. Taking advantage of the distraction, Ami elbowed Jadeite in the side, and Usagi reached for her tiara. As Ami dropped, she attacked.

Again, Jadeite managed to dodge her attack. The man was annoyingly quick on his feet and in his reaction, swinging his arm in her direction. Usagi scrambled away from the flash of his attack, her slowness earning her a small gash on her cheek.

Jadeite held his fist in the air, the yellow light growing larger as he fixed her a murderous stare. Her heart dropped; she knew she wouldn't be able to avoid this one. All her fears came tidalling down; she was dead.

"_Akuryo Taisan_!"

Large, magnificent waves of red-orange flames rushed Jadeite, coiling around him like a snake. In an instant, the flames closed in, roaring in fiery destruction.

Usagi ran toward Ami, helping her up. Next to them, Rei stood with her hands raised, the flames reflecting beautifully in her dark eyes. Her mouth was agape, and she looked stunned. Her attire had changed to that of a Sailor Guardian's in red.

"What…what did I just do?" Rei whispered confusingly.

Before Usagi could respond, Jadeite's horrifying screams ended and the flames died down, leaving only a charred corpse. She slapped her hand over her mouth, holding back a gag.

"Sailor Moon," Ami warned.

The _Youma_ were now howling and shrieking, despairing over the loss of their general. Usagi inhaled deeply, preparing herself for the worst. But instead of attacking, they shimmered away, disappearing from the space until only the three girls and busloads of people were left.

Ami cursed, her visor beeping away frantically. There was a loud rumble and the ground began to shake. The air looked as if it were dissipating on itself.

"What's happening?" Usagi cried.

"The dimensional space is breaking down," Ami said anxiously. "We have to get out of here."

"But what about the people?"

"I don't know!" Ami looked around desperately.

"Hey," Rei called nervously. "What's going on? Who are you people?"

Ami ignored her, crouching down and pressing her hand to her forehead as she tried to find a solution to their problem. Usagi turned to Rei.

"Rei, it's me, Usagi." Recognition alighted in the other girl's eyes. "And that's Ami."

"Usagi?" Rei rubbed her eyes, blinking. The ground jerked under them, throwing them off their feet. "Seriously, what the hell is going on?"

Usagi yelped in answer, trying not to bite her tongue as her body was tossed around. She pressed her hands to her ears, the rumble was deafening and the pressure was closing in on her.

"Ami!"

Ami shook her head, eyes squeezed shut. "There's no way we can get a thousand people through the portal. I doubt we can even make it to the portal ourselves now."

"Perhaps I can help."

Usagi whipped her head to the source of the calm male voice, thinking of Tuxedo Mask. Maybe he had found his way in to save her after all. She was almost sure she spotted him at the intersection before, a figure far away running to her.

But the man before her, not much older than her, did not wear a tuxedo, rather, a grey uniform with green trim, much like Jadeite's. Instead of dark hair, he was fair-headed, his long hair tied back. His stance was easy and relaxed, unfazed by the commotion around them.

Before she could attack, he raised his hands in mock surrender. "Oh, no. There are three of you. I wasn't prepared for three."

Usagi quickly wiped the baffled look off her face, getting into a fighting stance less he was playing with them. Rei instinctively copied her. Only Ami continued to stay crouched on the ground—a smarter move as she was the only one not looking comically out of balance.

"I know, how about a deal?" he continued casually. "I send the humans back for you, and you let me retrieve my comrade."

_What's he playing at?_ Usagi narrowed her eyes. "What's the catch?"

"No catch." He shrugged. "I'm not stupid enough to try my luck when I clearly have no chance of winning."

She was exhausted to the point of fainting, Ami was injured, and Rei still had no idea what was going on. He, on the other hand, was unperturbed by the destruction around them and had a smug-looking expression on his face.

She was about to retort when he spoke again. "Deal?"

"Deal," Ami cut her off.

He waved his hand, soft breeze trailing around them. The buses and occupants faded away, leaving only the four of them in the dying world. Then the man knelt down and touched the unrecognisable black mass at the point where the heart should be. The corpse disintegrated into ash, revealing a cloudy emerald-green stone. He tenderly wiped it clean.

"Next time, Sailor Guardians, I will defeat you." He didn't sound at all enthusiastic or threatening, saying it as if he were reading dully off a script.

"Wait," Ami said and he paused, looking over curiously. "Sailor Moon has powered up her attack and she has it at your throat. One move and you are dead. Send the three of us back as well, and we will spare your life."

Usagi glanced at her hands, resting emptily at her sides. What was Ami talking about? Was she supposed to power up now? Was Ami bluffing?

Even though nothing of what Ami had said was happening, the man froze up. Was he mocking them?

He smiled. "With my life at stake, I have to agree."

He wiggled his fingers, and the scenery broke around them. The darkness of destruction was replaced by the darkness of the starry night. Small, distant artificial light cast a dim glow over them. They were standing in the centre of the intersection.

All around them, at least fifty bodies began to groan and come to life. She heard the cry of a girl somewhere, but it was too dark to identify faces. Murmurs of helplessness and fright drifted around, growing in volume.

Usagi looked up, and staring back at her in awe and shock, was Tuxedo Mask, his beautiful, lonely eyes wide. Then he exhaled, smiling, relieved.

It was not the time, but at his expression, she sank to her knees, uncaring about the people rising all around her. Let them see Sailor Moon. She had succeeded in her first real fight against the Dark Kingdom. The fact that she, Ami and Rei had come out alive and that every abducted person was safe overwhelmed her.

She cried, but this time, it was tears of joy.

* * *

_**A/N: **So, I've had a few comments about Ami's (new) personality. To the two I've PM-ed about it, thank you so much for understanding. To V41N and others who may be questioning it as well, please be patient, there is an in-story reason to that. I'll be happy to discuss opinions or problems, if any, about the reason, when it's revealed. Hope you enjoyed this chapter._


	7. Elegant Exit

_**Chapter Seven: Elegant Exit**_

Usagi had never slept so peacefully and deeply in her whole life. While her friends and family would beg to differ, the truth was she was just very good at ignoring outside noises when she wanted to. Sometimes, she would lay still, eyes closed, and still hear every conversation that went on around her, too lazy to join in, but not too tired to sleep.

That morning when she woke to Luna's gentle paws, it was the most rest she had gotten in years.

"Time to get up, Usagi," Luna was saying, nudging her lightly. "You'll be late for school."

She squinted at the bedside clock that she'd forgotten to set the night before. "There's still time. Even if I do sit down for breakfast, I'd still make it without having to run."

"I'd rather you not run," Luna said, watching her get up with difficulty, "especially after what you went through last night. You haven't fully recovered."

Usagi grinned, scratching the cat on the underside of her chin. "You nag too much, Luna."

When she was dressed and ready, she wasn't surprised to still see her parents and younger brother having breakfast at the table. It was a rare sight, but as it was still early—for her—she had expected it. What she hadn't expected was for her brother Shingo to leap from his chair and ask if she wanted juice; or for her father Kenji to ask how she slept. The biggest surprise was when her mother Ikuko came up to her with a plate of pancakes, and then leaned down to kiss her on the crown of her head.

"Good morning, Usagi." Ikuko smiled down at her, a hint of worry in her motherly eyes.

Usagi knew she hadn't been acting her usual self the past couple of weeks, and that her family had noticed. Sure, she still had her clumsy moments and her grades were subpar, she wasn't usually so quiet that she seemed depressed. She didn't often stay out late on school days. She didn't bring home cats only to take more than a week to warm up to it. They knew something was plaguing her, and it pained her to know that they trusted her enough to come to them on her own time.

Usagi returned a cheery grin. "Morning, mama."

Ikuko set the plate down at her place at the table. "Your favourite: coconut pancakes with banana caramel sauce."

"Yay, thank you!" She was determined to ease their troubled hearts from today. "I love you!"

Kenji eyed her from behind his newspaper as she chewed happily. He smiled lovingly when she caught him staring at her, then went back to his paper. Shingo came back with her juice and promptly began to talk excitedly about today's headline regarding the rescued kidnapped victims by Sailor Moon and co. Usagi listened intently, replying innocently between mouthfuls.

Everyone pretended that there was nothing different, but there was a clear sign of uplifted spirits that morning.

* * *

After the school bell rang, Ami quickly packed her things, and for the first time in years, left the classroom immediately. It had not been a good day for her. Her shoulder still ached terribly; though much healed compared to last night, it was still an open wound. She could not go to a doctor for the questions it would raise, and because she did not know the extent of her healing. It was all she could do to put on some antiseptic and bandage, and wait with aspirin at the ready.

She was still heading down the same hallway when she heard someone call her. Somewhat annoyed, she turned and saw that it was Mr Kunitachi, a chemistry teacher. Of all the teaching staff of her school, Mr Kunitachi was the only one she was fond of. Unlike some who were clearly underqualified—in her opinion—or those who had no interest in explaining advanced concepts outside of the school syllables, Mr Kunitachi was a brilliant chemist who was all too willing to indulge curiously-minded students. She admired his passion and mind for chemistry, often visiting him to discuss new topics she'd learned on her own.

Thus, Ami was patient when he began to gush about the upcoming national high school quiz competition and how he would be grateful if she would join a team for the science and mathematics section. When she politely asked about the date of and commitment required for the competition, what she heard clashed with a previous appointment and she had to decline. He tried to hide his disappointment, but she'd read enough behavioural books and had observed many people to notice the little signs.

In the corner of her eye, she saw three girls snicker as they passed by. With a sigh, she took the other, less direct route out of the building after she took her leave of Mr Kunitachi. She had neither the patience, nor the pain tolerance, to put up with them today.

Outside was a sight that she wasn't used to seeing. Large clusters of students sauntered out the front gate in loud chatter. She heard suggestions of karaoke, shopping malls and cafes. Less often, she heard libraries and cram schools. Thinking of her own currently defunct seminar, Ami huffed with discontent at the amount of free time she was putting to Guardian research instead of catching up with the latest scientific journals.

But she wasn't discontent for long. The fact of the matter was, she enjoyed her Guardian researches. She enjoyed testing the limits of her powers and finding new ways of using them. She enjoyed collecting magical data and analysing them; it was particularly satisfying when she could attribute a scientific theory to those data. She derived secret pleasure at hacking into hidden information, despite how ethically concerning and legally wrong it was. She was careful, though, not to unveil information she wasn't sure she wanted to know.

Most of all, she enjoyed the company of a friend, though Usagi was hardly one at the beginning. She had thought her naïve and much too carefree the first time she saw her, lost in the hallways. She found Usagi's willingness and insistence at striking up conversation curious—people were usually put off by her intellect and precise speech. It was later that day that she gained insight into Usagi's world, and their acquaintance became a way to sate her curiosity.

Idly as she walked, Ami wondered when it was exactly that she came to care for Usagi as more than an acquaintance. Was it at the park when Usagi first proclaimed her desire to protect? No, that was too early. Was it at the roof garden when she woke up on Usagi's shoulder with a strange feeling of warmth? It touched her, but not likely. That stake-out night? Maybe; why else would she confess her fears of breaking down, hoping that Usagi would lift her spirits? Perhaps it was when Usagi became absolutely certain she wanted to save the abducted people. Idiotic and reckless; they were barely teenagers with only two battle experiences. Yet she couldn't help but admire her resolve. She had researched the incidents thoroughly for a week, but couldn't bring herself to act on it. Usagi, at the moment she had heard of it, was passionately adamant.

But why would she admire such ridiculous—and dangerous—desires? Ami was a person of science; every conclusion was logically deduced, every thought methodical, every action acted upon after the risks and rewards were duly analysed. Usagi was the total opposite; she followed her heart wherever it might take her.

She couldn't remember a time when she was like that. She supposed it was sad; her childhood was nothing more than books and the obsession with knowledge. She had a theoretical understanding of emotions, of why people cry or laugh, of how they were compelled by the heart. The heart was a precious commodity, and Usagi shone so brightly with it on her sleeve.

Somewhere deep inside, Ami wanted it. And if it proved impossible, she would ensure someone like Usagi would never lose it. It was a lost she believed even she felt.

Slowly, a smile formed. When she wanted to protect Usagi's happiness, _that_ was when she considered her a friend, even if she wasn't sure until much later.

_Problem solved_, she thought satisfyingly.

There was a group of male students, both middle and high schoolers, gathered on the sidewalk just outside the school gates. Ami paused and stared. Right in the centre of the group was Rei, softly smiling with hands clasped behind her back as she kindly answered the boys' questions. Several of them were obviously flirting, but she either didn't notice or was too polite to call them out on it. Her long, black hair, attractive looks and elegant school uniform certainly caught the attentions of the public school students. While she did not reject the attention, and she handled it tremendously well, Ami could tell that she was irritated by the vein that occasionally surfaced in her temple.

"Ami, there you are!" Excusing herself quickly, Rei came over to her, hiding an exasperated sigh.

She couldn't resist a small smirk. It instantly vanished when the boys followed Rei over.

* * *

Makoto yawned unabashedly, glad to have the school day over. Only three days had passed since she began at this new school, but she was having a good feeling about the move. The story of her past hadn't caught up to her from her old school in a distant district, so she was having an easier time than she'd expected to blend in. From what she'd heard, this school didn't seem to have many problems with its students; it should be an easy ride for her after all.

On the way out, she bumped into Usagi and her friend.

"Makoto, heya!" Usagi grinned, emitting an unusual amount of radiance that made her take an unintentional step back.

_Is this her usual self or a one-off thing?_ She thought back to the all times she'd seen the shorter girl with confused eyes and half-hearted smiles.

"Yo," she greeted slowly.

Usagi snapped her fingers. "Hey, are you doing anything now?"

"Why?" A doppelganger. Maybe a twin.

"There's this really cool game centre in the city that I haven't been to in a long time," she said. "I just _have_ to drop by today or my handsome Motoki-_oniisan_ will forget about me. Want to come?"

Well, Makoto supposed she could get used to this Usagi.

"Sure," Makoto said. "Just for a short while, though. I gotta head to the supermarket before all the good stuff's gone."

"Wow, you get the groceries for your mom?"

She hesitated. At the pause, Usagi's friend took the opportunity to nudge her in the side. With a small grunt, Usagi twisted away from her friend's elbow, rubbing her right side. Instantly, the friend was fussing over her, apologising and demanding to know where it hurt. Makoto just stood behind them, unsure of what to do. She was never one to console a hurt person.

"It's okay. I'm all right." Usagi was gently pushing away the friend's prying hands. "I had a little clumsy moment last night is all."

"It sounded bad." The girl frowned.

Usagi waved her off. "You know me, I dramatise everything."

"That's true."

They shared a laugh.

"Oh, by the way, this is Kino Makoto," Usagi said, probably as a delayed reaction to her friend's nudging. "She just transferred over Monday. Makoto, this is my bestie." She latched gleefully onto her best friend's arm.

Maybe it wouldn't be that easy to get used to this, was Makoto's new thought.

She held out a hand to the friend. "Nice to meet you, uh…"

With a straight face, the friend replied, "You may call me Usagi's bestie. However, I will also respond to Osaka, or Naru. Feel free to use the latter."

Makoto grinned. "Will do."

"So, anyway, about the game centre…" Usagi continued as if there had never been a disruption.

As she listened, Makoto noticed there was a slight bounce in Usagi's step, and her mouth seemed permanently fixed into a small, yet serene, smile. Either this Motoki guy really was as good-looking as she'd said, or something else had gotten her in a chipper mood.

Outside, they came across of relatively large—ten or so—group of students huddled by the school's front gate. _Really, what's the deal with the gate?_ She was tempted to inspect it for magical charms or runes.

Usagi stood on tiptoes to get a better view, to no avail. Makoto, being taller than average for her age, got a good look at the centre of the circle. There was a black-haired girl in a different school's uniform she didn't recognise. Then there was the dollmaster, Ami, fuming silently next to the girl, unable to escape from the tight circle of boys around them.

The black-haired one looked to be starting to lose her temper as well.

"Guys, please," she said with strained courtesy, "I'm just here to find my friend."

"Well, what's her name?" one boy said. "Maybe we can help you look for her."

"That's nice of you. But I've already found one." She laid a hand on Ami's left shoulder, before quickly pulling back as if it were fire. "I'm good, thank you."

But the boys continued to pester for her company. A couple leaned over to whisper to Ami, but she only responded with a glare. There were bags under her eyes, and she stood with rigid caution against the movement around her, cradling her left arm. Even the other girl seemed protective of her left side.

_A dislocated shoulder? When did she hurt herself?_

When she saw the guy running up to the group, there was no doubt that there would be trouble. Before she could warn them, however, the guy had already jumped onto the backs of his friends, demanding to know what was taking them. The momentum drove them forward, running into Ami.

With a strangled cry, she stumbled into the other girl, who immediately held her protectively. It was as if a switch had been flipped, and the elegant black-haired one's face contorted into an expression of utmost fury. Before she could lash out at the boys, Makoto raised her hands high and clapped over their heads.

"Right then," she said loudly, "her friends are here. You morons can get lost now."

She pushed her way in to make her point, and one by one, the crowd dispersed until only the five of them were left. Usagi sauntered over to the other two, whispering something. At Ami's response, she nodded, stepped back and felt her ribs, and nodded again.

_Curious._

"So, Rei," Usagi said, normally this time, "what are you doing here? How'd you get here so fast?"

"Free last period," the black-haired one called Rei replied nonchalantly, "so I ducked out."

"My, my, our little princess skipped out on an elite school," Usagi teased. "What will the nuns think?"

"That I'm in the student council's office," she said, unfazed, "being as diligent as ever."

"Well, we know better, don't we?"

Rei winked. Then, turning serious, she slid a hand into her pocket. "Anyway, there's something we have to talk about. I'm afraid—"

She was cut off by Ami grabbing her other hand and pulling her away. More curious whisperings were exchanged between them. They glanced up at Makoto, then at Naru, and back to the whispers and nods. Rei pulled an empty hand out of her pocket.

Makoto afforded a sideways glance at Naru beside her. When she had first seen her with Usagi, she had no doubt about their closeness—they behaved almost like sisters. Now, seeing Naru look quite dejected, shoulders slumped, her gaze cast anywhere but at the three, she wasn't so sure.

"Is there somewhere we can go to talk?" Rei asked when they came back.

Usagi hesitated. "I've kind of made plans."

"How long will it take? We can talk after."

"I don't know."

"What are you doing?"

"The arcade," she replied sheepishly. "Makoto's new here and all. I want to take her somewhere."

Rei's eyes wandered over to Naru, mistaking her quietness for the shyness of a new girl. Makoto raised a hand. "I'm Makoto. If you need Usagi, go ahead and take her. I can make do."

"Thank you," Rei said gratefully.

_It must be important._

But Usagi shuffled her feet. "What about tomorrow? Tomorrow's good."

"I'm busy tomorrow. Besides, it won't help my point if we do it tomorrow."

"But Naru…"

"Another new girl?"

"No."

It was beginning to get awkward. Makoto could only guess that Usagi had been spending too much time with the other two, and was now feeling guilty and wanted to make it up with her other friend. Clearly, she wasn't very good at juggling two different friendships. Ami seemed to think the same when she spoke up.

"How about we join you three?" Ami suggested. "If you two don't mind us crashing into your activity, that is. Rei, you can postpone your talk until after they are done. We can do it over dinner too. My treat."

"Well…"

Usagi nodded fervently. Finally, Rei sighed and agreed. Ami looked to Makoto, who was fine with it, then to Naru, who only nodded slowly. Rei noticed, and began introducing herself to the girl.

_A charmer, that one._ Makoto noted amusingly how Naru's mood began to lift. As they walked, her eyes strayed to Ami's back.

"Hey, you got red paint on your back," she said without thinking. _Paint? You idiot, of course it's not paint. What're you trying to cover for them for? Wait, cover what?_

Immediately, Ami turned her back away from her, and Rei jumped over to her side, inspecting the 'paint'.

"We have to wash that out quickly before it stains," Rei muttered, unconvincing in Makoto's ears.

"I will head home first, then."

"I'll go with you."

"Ami…" Usagi looked torn. She knew the truth behind the 'paint'.

Ami offered a comforting smile at her. "We will meet up with you later, all right?"

Without lingering for much longer, the two walked ahead of them, then disappeared around a corner. Usagi was now trying to placate Naru's curiosity, who was teasing her about her newfound friends. It was a teasing tone, but Makoto wondered if Naru was just trying to affirm her position as Usagi's best friend.

* * *

Usagi glanced over her shoulder at Makoto, who was walking leisurely with her hands behind her head. She wondered if the taller girl was perhaps more perceptive than she let on. There had been many hints since school ended that Makoto's interaction with the others was deeper than it appeared on the surface. She was more concerned about Ami than anyone who would simply believe the blood was red paint.

And then there was Naru. Usagi had been noticing little changes in Naru's behaviour, especially when she would decline hanging out to meet up with Ami during the past week. To outsiders, Naru was fine. She hid it well that she didn't like Usagi hanging out with someone else. But Usagi knew better; they had been best friends since kindergarten after all. Naru might seem like the easy-going type, but she was very protective of her friends. Overly so, sometimes, that it might seem like jealousy. Naru did not take it well when Usagi was going through her Guardian dilemma the past two and a half weeks.

It was why she hesitated with Rei even though she knew it was Guardian business. It might seem like a regression of her desire to protect with her Guardian abilities, but ignoring Naru wasn't any better. It was Naru, after all, who she wanted to protect most; Naru, who motivated her to fight so that she wouldn't suffer at the hands of the Dark Kingdom again. Everything was redundant if Naru ended up suffering another way because of her.

She considered telling Naru. She wanted to tell Naru. Naru would feel better knowing that it was Sailor Moon, and not new friends, that kept her away, wouldn't she?

"Usagi?" Naru tilted her head curiously. "What is it?"

She couldn't tell her. Naru would tell her to stop. Worse, she'd try to help. "Nothing. Just thinking."

Naru quirked an eyebrow.

"Oh, sure, if you're going to be like that," Usagi said dramatically, "I've got nothing to say to you."

"Aw, Usagi." Naru giggled, and slid a hand around her arm. "Don't be like that. You know I love you no matter what."

"Promise?" _Even if I continue to keep things about myself from you?_

"I promise."

There was a little hesitance there. She was sure of it. Maybe. No. She was overthinking things again.

"What's going on over there?" Makoto suddenly said.

She followed Makoto's gaze down the road where several police cars were parked and police officers wandered the pathway of the business district holding clipboards. At random, they would stop someone and begin writing in their clipboards.

"A survey?" Naru wondered.

Usagi didn't bother to guess aloud, for what she thought was worse than either of them could imagine. That the Dark Kingdom had regained traction so quickly terrified her.

"I'll go ask."

Makoto slipped past them to tap one officer on the shoulder. He was a young one, in the early twenties and fairly good-looking. When Makoto got his attention, he was quick to begin an interrogation. Somehow, she turned it around and got him talking instead. Usagi noticed how her hand fluttered to her hair, her—enviously—ample chest, her lips, on his arm. Her lips were curved into a half-smile, almost enthralling in its seductiveness.

_No, she isn't—_

Naru gasped. "Is she _flirting_ with him?"

Usagi couldn't answer. Trying to close her gaping mouth was the pressing point at the moment.

They watched in stunned admiration at how easily Makoto had the officer wrapped around her finger. He blushed when she wanted him to blush. He fidgeted when she purposely gazed too long into his eyes. He swallowed when his eyes ventured to where it shouldn't on a middle-schooler, though she certainly had the physique of someone older. She tempted him, played with him, and Usagi was beginning to suspect she was now doing it for the fun of it as the man was hardly talking anymore.

Makoto returned with a hardly restrained triumphant grin. "Either one of you ever heard of a Sailor Moon or Sailor V?" she asked.

Naru was the first to break out of their stupor. "Yeah, Sailor V, or at least the rumour of her, has been going on for a while already. But her activity has since died down, only for Sailor Moon to start appearing. Why?"

"Police wants them for questioning. Something about being involved in major crimes."

"Ridiculous," Naru said. "Sailor Moon is a protector, not a criminal. She saved me once. And Yumi yesterday."

"Well. The guy said they're also worrying about the potential vigilante aspect of it. What was it again?" She tapped a finger to her chin. "No bodies, or persons, who could be the attackers have been found, despite there being a clear occurrence of a criminal activity. Pretty much indicates that Sailor Moon, or V, you know, murdered them."

She wasn't wrong. Sailor Moon destroyed _Youma_ with a silly tiara. But it couldn't be counted as murder; _Youma_ weren't human. Usagi's mind flashed back to Jadeite and the other man, Warren Ishikawa. _Wait, they're not, right? Oh, my god... No, don't panic yet. Check with Luna and Ami before you choose to go mad._

"What's with the clipboards?" she asked hastily, distracting herself.

"Being proactive with obtaining information from the public who've heard the rumours or were eyewitnesses themselves," Makoto replied. "Bet you if they hop on some internet forums they'd get more info than parading their useless asses off to a small number of the public."

"You've got something against the police."

"A little."

Makoto gave no indication of her dislike when flirting with the officer. But she had also never shown any part of her that might lead to trouble with the police. Then again, Usagi hardly knew the girl. Today was the day to break that distance.

* * *

By the time they finally reached the game centre, it was nearly six o'clock. Rei followed Ami into the arcade, eyeing the various beeping and blinking machines around them, unimpressed. Why anyone would waste time and money on these useless things was beyond her. She'd much rather reread a book if she really had nothing to do than play computer games.

Ami paused in front of her, looking around. She had changed out of her uniform into a black, long-sleeved shirt and jeans, which Rei now eyed with some slight distaste. She wouldn't say she was the most stylish around, but she did take pride in her choice of clothing. She had had a glimpse of Ami's wardrobe—and would give her tick of approval if asked—so it puzzled her Ami would simply don a simple black shirt. Sure, it was easy to put on with her injured shoulder, but so were the many other button-up blouses she had.

Then again, Ami had acted quite strangely when they were at her apartment. She was quite adamant that she didn't need help patching herself up; the only reason she allowed her to follow her home was to help get the blood out before it stained. When Rei insisted strongly, Ami relented only after dimming the lights and having slid her free hand into the sleeve of her shirt.

Ami was definitely hiding something. Was it another injury? If so, why would she hide it? Perhaps she thought herself weak and didn't want deepen that admission to the others.

Rei shook her head. No, that was stupid. And Ami was a far cry from stupid.

They found Usagi and Naru at a machine in one corner of the room. Naru was currently the one playing amid instructions from the noisy twin-tailed one—a game called 'Sailor V's Adventures'. _Another Sailor Guardian?_

So engrossed was Usagi that she didn't notice them, and Ami was content to wait silently. Rei huffed, crossed her arms. She looked for Makoto, spotting her talking to some guy at the counter. She was leaning on the counter, head propped up in her hands, nodding as she listened to his chatter. Clearly, she wasn't really listening as her eyes strayed over, catching Rei's.

It wasn't long before she—and the arcade employee—came over.

"You guys finally arrived," she greeted wryly. "At…what time is it?"

"Six," the guy said.

"Six?" she exclaimed, checking her watch for confirmation. "Damn, I have to go. I can't cook with lousy ingredients. Tell Usagi I left. Bye."

She was off before anyone could return the farewell. Seconds later, the screen in front of Naru flashed a 'Game Over' sign. Usagi patted Naru's back consolingly, nearly jumping when Rei cleared her throat loudly.

"When did you guys get here?"

"About five minutes ago," Rei answered.

"Where's Makoto?"

"She left," the guy said. He petted Usagi's head adoringly, whose face lighted up at the touch—Rei nearly wanted to gag. "One by one, you keep gaining new friends, and cute ones too. You have to teach me your trick, Usagi."

"No trick, Motoki-_san_," Naru said. "Just ignorant persistence. She doesn't know when she's making a nuisance of herself."

Rei couldn't help but smile at that. _How true._

"It seems like she's doing all right," the guy, Motoki, added. He then introduced himself to Ami and herself.

Rei was brisk in her own introduction, impatient. It was no easy feat waiting after she had forced Ami to take a nap and rest her injuries. Homework was done quickly, and what little Council notes she had brought back with her to review took less than an hour to be completed. She'd had nearly half an hour with nothing to do but rehearse in her head what she wanted to say to Usagi and Ami later that evening. It was time to get it out of her head.

"One more game," Usagi pleaded. "Naru's so close to beating the game. And with Motoki-_oniisan_ here, we should be able to do it in just one game. Please?"

Rei sighed. Why she was so lenient with the girl, she didn't know. Perhaps it was due to her experiences with the girls in her school; most of them seemed to have put her on a pedestal and she had yet to be able to say no to them on trivial matters.

"We will wait outside," Ami said, then led her out.

Rei leaned against the building, crossing her legs at the ankles. She cast a sideways glance at the girl beside her. She spotted a vending machine nearby, headed over and bought two cans of juice, handing one over to Ami.

"You shouldn't have," Ami said. "We could have gotten drinks at dinner."

"Well, I'm thirsty now, so."

"All right. Thank you." Rei watched her struggle with the can one-handed, then popped open the lid for her.

"Have we met before?" she asked suddenly.

"I'm sorry?"

"Somehow," she continued, "you look very familiar. But I can't really place you. Like maybe we met when we were kids? Did we go to the same preschool or elementary school?"

Ami shook her head. "I was born and raised in Kyoto."

"Oh." She took another sip. She'd drop the subject for now until she found a more tangible source of memory.

The door to the arcade slid open, and when she didn't see anyone come out from the corner of her eye, she turned and peered inside. Something soft brushed by her legs and she looked down.

"Luna, I thought I'd find you here." Ami picked up the black cat, shuffling until they were both comfortable in her one arm.

Rei grinned, reaching out to scratch behind the cat's ears. "How are you, Luna? Did Usagi sneak you inside?"

"I'm fine, Rei, thank you."

She dropped her can.

"_Oh my god, the cat talked_!"

* * *

Luna grumbled, struggling to find her balance against the jostle of Ami's backpack she was currently in. She heard Rei mutter an apology, then promptly rearranged the bag on her shoulder for the fifth time. The zip was pulled up wider and Ami's face came into view.

"Just a little longer, Luna," she whispered. "They will have a seat for us shortly."

Soon enough, the jostling worsen as they were led to the table at the back. Rei was kind enough to set the bag down gently. They ordered quickly, and then the bag's zip was pulled fully back. Luna peeked her head out slowly, then, certain no one would see her unless they came right up to the table, stretched her arms and yawned.

Usagi and Ami sat opposite her, with Ami on the outside. Briefly, she wondered if it was strategic. Mercury had always been the strategic one, almost every move had purpose.

She blinked. Where did that notion come from?

Rei fidgeted beside her. "If I had known we'd be bringing a talking cat, I would've been fine with an empty park somewhere."

Usagi's stomach grumbled in response.

"Don't worry," Ami said. "This table is fairly isolated from the others, and the waiters here know not to fuss too much."

"Have you been here before?"

"Yes."

They carried on idle conversation—Usagi and Rei, mostly—until the waiter arrived with their orders. Luna ducked her head.

After a few mouthfuls, Rei was the first to speak up. "Why did we have to bring Luna, now that I think about it?"

"She is partial to our…work," Ami replied. "Think of her as advisor to the Guardians."

Rei glanced at her. "A cat?"

That was Mars, sceptical to a fault. She could easily pick out flaws and traps due to her questioning nature, among her many traits that made her so well-rounded.

_It happened again._

"You'd be surprised. I was."

Usagi paused in her ravenous feeding. "I think you just offended Luna."

"You didn't think much of Luna when you first met."

"Yeah, but that's because she was just a cat who forced me to fight a _Youma_." Luna flinched inwardly. "Now she's _my_ cat who watches out for me and wakes me up for school and makes sure I do my homework and trains me and keeps her promise and teaches me about my powers and—"

"Stop." Rei put down her chopsticks and rubbed her temples. "I actually don't want to know."

"Why?" Usagi asked, confused. "Luna is important when it comes to Guardian discussions."

"Well, I don't think this is the type of Guardian discussion that requires an advisor."

"Luna is not just an advisor," Ami said. "For your purpose, I think she should be here."

"Ami, what do you mean?" Usagi shifted her gaze between the two, looking worried. Luna felt sorry for her first charge, having an idea of where this conversation was going. She didn't like it, and felt that it went against everything her mind told her. She knew how she should respond; she didn't know how she wanted to respond.

Rei dropped something on the table. Her transformation pen.

"Rei…" Usagi was at a lost; she swallowed.

"I can't be a part of this," Rei began softly, almost regretfully. "I can't join you two in whatever you do as Guardians. I'm sorry."

Usagi didn't say anything. Her face was a myriad of expressions: from sad, to relief, to concern, to acceptance, to fear, and back again. Luna knew what she was thinking. Usagi had firmly declared it to her from the beginning after all, surprising and yet impressing her.

But Rei mistook her silence and continued in pitiable murmurs. "I have too many things going on in my life. Work at the shrine, student council work, archery training and competitions, piano accompaniment for the choir club. I've already had to drop a few things. I just don't have the time." She looked away. "I'm sorry. I'm being selfish."

"That's okay." Usagi smiled kindly, reaching over to take her hand. "It's normal."

"How is it normal?" Rei bit her lower lip, as if trying to stop herself from taking back her words. From her next words, Luna thought she was right. "You do so many good things with your Guardian powers. Such noble things and I'm backing out just because—"

"Contrary to what you think," Ami said, "my intention isn't noble. I like to experiment. I like to study new things. I am keeping my Guardian powers because I want to make science out of magic. Yesterday was the first time I used my powers to save someone; mostly because the creation of a dimensional space was involved."

Usagi nodded along. "And I'm doing it just to shut Luna up."

Luna couldn't help but smile at that. _My sweet little liars._

Rei just looked confused.

"Don't feel bad, Rei," Usagi reassured.

"But…" Rei frowned, fiddled with her thumbs. She looked to Luna, then back to the girls. "You guys are really okay with this?"

Usagi nodded. Ami merely took a spoonful of her rice, then pushed the plate away as it had gone cold.

"But yesterday," Rei tried again, "I mean, both of you got injured. Ami, you nearly lost your arm."

"A fluke. We weren't prepared," Ami said simply. Then, fixing Usagi a look, she added, "Something that won't happen again, I presume?"

Usagi gave another of her sincere, but overly dramatised, apology. Rei finally laughed, Usagi joined in soon after. Ami smiled, then turned solemn eyes onto Luna, assessing her. She nodded.

When the laughter stopped, Ami spoke. "So, Rei, to reaffirm, you have our support in your decision to stay away from Guardian work."

"But we're still friends, right?" Usagi quickly asked.

Smiling, Rei nodded. "Of course. We'll hang out whenever we have time."

"But," Ami continued seriously, "and you may choose to ignore this, but Luna has a say in this too. She has a job to awaken the Sailor Guardians, and she has been carrying our transformation pens for us. To her, gathering Guardians is her purpose in life."

Usagi froze. Luna felt a pang in her heart, even though she knew, logically, she had done nothing wrong. She had not broken her promise. Passing the Mars pen was only precaution; she had believed Sailor Moon could have won without needing it. She had been wrong, and Sailor Mars had been summoned. By all rights of her promise to Usagi, Rei would join the team in the fight against the Dark Kingdom, and Usagi would not—should not—hate her for it.

"The transformation pen is yours, Rei, and I cannot take it back from you." Rei was Sailor Mars. And Sailor Mars was strong. They needed Sailor Mars. "Keep it."

Usagi looked away, eyes glistening, but stayed silent.

It was wrong. Luna knew it was wrong, yet she said it anyway. "But if you truly wish to abstain from using your Guardian powers, I will not stop you. But know that you are welcome to join us when you are ready."

_There, at least you didn't imply she never needed to come back._ It didn't soothe her discomfort the slightest. The way Usagi's eyes lighted up did. Why did she have such a soft spot for the girl? Where did it come from?

Rei smiled, nodded her thanks. She still looked unsure, but quickly removed it at Usagi's squeal of delight. Ami turned her head, the smallest frown on her face. In a voice so soft only Luna could hear her, she mumbled, "Huh. They took it better than I thought."

Luna settled back into her bag, resting her head on her paws as she let the girls converse. Perhaps it was better that they cultivate their friendship with each other first. They could not be a proper team without understanding each of their unique traits, strengths and weaknesses. It was dangerous in a battle of life and death.

She told herself this over and over again, trying to quell the nagging feeling that it wasn't enough.


	8. Illusive Calm

_**Chapter Eight: Illusive Calm**_

He was furious. There were no other words for it. He was furious and he rejected the fact, and he would demand vengeance. The _Shitennou_ were undefeatable. The _Shitennou_ were immortal. Their honour lied with their strength and brotherhood. Nothing stood in their way. So how was it possible that Jadeite fell at the hands of little girls?

He threw open the doors of the throne hall. He did not care that Queen Beryl did not like noises. She would not kill him. No, she had already lost one general. She needed him.

His steps slowed when he saw another person standing before Queen Beryl. It was Zoisite, so casual in his stance, in the way he handed a green stone to her. And she, seated lazily, magnificently, in the golden chair, eyeing the gem with indifferent eyes. How she had loved to play with Jadeite, yet his death had not affected her in the slightest.

Those dark, impassive eyes flickered in his direction. A sneer. It was always a sneer for him. She reserved different smiles for each of her generals: a playful, wicked smile for Jadeite; a tired one for Zoisite; an irritated twist of her lips for Kunzite. A sneer for him.

"Nephrite." A lull in her voice, so condescending, so uninterested. Why him? Why was he the only one she despised? He had done nothing wrong. His quota was always met. He was efficient and he was quick; over ninety per cent of the people in his territory had already been eliminated from the list of potential holders of the Silver Crystal. He was ahead of his brothers, yet she treated him as the lowest of ants.

"My queen." He bowed.

Zoisite left without a word. Why him, when Zoisite was the worst offender in etiquette?

"What business do you have?" She barely even glanced at him, finding the stone more interesting than him.

"My queen," he began, holding back his anger and confusion, "as you know, my brother general, Jadeite of the Far East, has fallen at the hands of the Sailor Guardians."

"Don't waste my time with facts I already know, _Nephrite_."

He seethed at the way she spoke his name. "Forgive—"

"Out with it."

He would show her. He would show her that he would be the one to bring glory to the Dark Kingdom. "Please allow me the honour of defeating, no, destroying the Sailor Guardians."

"You have your territory to oversee, no?"

"My subordinates are perfectly capable of collecting the human energy you require, my queen. Those I have entrusted to search for the Silver Crystal have been most efficient and are almost done with the American continents. I have resources to spare for the destruction of our obstacles in Asia."

She hummed to herself, playing with the green stone. She didn't answer him until much later. "What makes you think _you_ can defeat them when Jadeite, my sweet hot-headed boy, lost to them?"

In all honesty, he was no more superior to Jadeite than Jadeite was to him. But—"My queen, we have very different methods of operation. I believe Jadeite's decision to face them directly was his ultimate downfall. I will not make that mistake."

She sneered again. Was it sheer disgust? Was it hateful?

"So you would slither like a slimy snake in the shadows waiting for a bare ankle to bite." It was a statement. A pure and simple statement that said it all.

He gritted his teeth.

"Go ahead." She waved him off dismissively. "Do what you will with the Sailor Guardians. I would suggest you avoid failures, though." She clicked her tongue, wicked light dancing in her dark eyes. "We wouldn't want you to go bye-bye so early, would we?"

Why him? Just what she did find so wrong in him?

* * *

Makoto wouldn't say she was a snoop. Not at all. So if someone were to enquire why she opened the door to the rooftop of Block F as silently as she could, and then peeked around before going out, it wasn't because she was being sneaky. She just didn't want to be facing the dollmaster alone. That wasn't snooping. How she came to know that Ami occasionally came here was another matter altogether; she wasn't so much snooping, but curious. She had seen the map of the campus. She knew the building block was so far out of the way no one bothered with it. She had wondered if there was something special about it that people would meet for lunch there.

What she had found out about Block F was that it was a dreary, old building that had been turned into a storeroom, for the most part. During a period years ago when club activities thrived, it was home to many noisy and large clubs, some of which might have possessed a large number of equipment to their name. The gardening club was one of those clubs, and it piqued her interest. She wondered if they had left a legacy of their efforts, as the gardening club of her former school had done.

Uncommon for her, she had ventured into the library and picked up yearbooks of the past. And she had found what she was looking for. And it was beautiful.

She could name all the flowers that bloomed, the various herbs that lay in one garden bed. She marvelled at the placing of the potted plants, the vines that hung down from the white arches above, how the colours and scents worked together in such harmony. She wanted to thank the person who had been tending to the garden all this time. She wanted to learn from him, to work with him. She wanted this garden to be hers.

But it was not. The first Thursday at this new school, the second time she would be visiting the garden, was put off when she had spied Ami walking up the stairs ahead of her. It would not normally be a deterrent. But what little she had seen of the other girl, she was not comfortable with. Sure, Ami had seemed more amicable the day before compared to the previous two Mondays. But before she knew it, she had slipped away rather than join her.

Ami unnerved her. Never mind the genius girl rumours, Ami was just the type to study everything—and everyone—she saw. Little comments, little twitch of facial expressions, minute behavioural gestures: she learned to assign meanings to those so accurately it was almost as if she could read minds. Makoto didn't like her mind read. She liked her privacy, and she liked her personal information be kept private. She also liked to speak her mind, and be corrected if she was wrong. Conversations were generated and maintained that way. It was not natural for a conversation to not go on just because the obvious need not be stated, or that the flow was predictable.

That was what made Usagi the perfect conversationalist. She didn't care that commenting that the weather was nice was lame because one could tell whether the weather was nice or not. All that mattered was that the other person replied back, giving her the chance to display her charming, warm character. _Someone_ could learn a thing or two from her friend.

Makoto stepped out onto the rooftop, breathing in the beautiful air under the sunny sky around her. She had survived her first week in a new school and had begun the second week quietly. None of her previous troubles had caught up to her. No one knew and she would have it at that.

She jerked to a stop when she turned the corner. Days of false hope were shattered when she saw the figure kneeling beside a bed of small shrubs. Ami's head was low, her hand was reached out under the base of a Dasiphora. Makoto squinted and saw a young shoot when her hand parted the leaves.

Then Ami pulled back and stood up. She startled when she saw Makoto.

_This is ridiculous. Why am I so bothered by her?_ It was not like Makoto, and she was determined to find out why.

"Hey, dollmaster." She plastered a grin on her face.

"That's Mizuno-_sempai_ to you." Ami's return was almost a victorious smirk. Almost.

The challenge: Win a banter. The count: Mizuno, three. Kino, zero.

But she was never one to back down in a fight. "What's up?"

Ami did not reply immediately.

_That's right_, she thought smugly, _ponder the meaning of that phrase._ The common answer was 'Nothing much'. Typical. It was how the recipient would respond unless there was something they wanted to talk about. And that would only happen if the speaker was a friend. For the most part, they were strangers. So the reply should be 'Nothing much'. But Ami was not typical. And she would respond in a way that was not personal yet answered Makoto's question, or she would lose the banter. Then the issue became what was Makoto's question. Did Makoto want to know her health? Did Makoto want to know her mood? Was Makoto asking her reason for being on the rooftop? Was Makoto looking for interesting high school gossip?

She hid a triumphant smile. She was sure many more potential questions she hadn't considered herself were running through the other girl's head. It would become a matter of logical deduction and elimination for Ami. Appropriate response time was a factor of victory, and Ami was soon running out of time.

"Do you think this shoot should be replanted?"

_Fuck._ She lost. The response both answered her question and turned it back on her. It wasn't just the correct answer; it was a genius counter.

_Mizuno, four. Kino, zero._ She had lost. Perhaps that was why Ami bothered her so much. She hated to lose, and with Ami, she was always losing.

_Well._ She smiled. _At least that's settled._

"I'll check it after school," she said. "Now's lunchtime."

Ami gestured. "There is a good spot over there if you like. Shady, with just enough warmth from the sun to counter the cool breeze."

"Thanks." She walked over to the spot Ami had pointed out, noting an opened container of untouched sandwiches there. She sat down, leaving an appropriate amount of space for Ami to come back too. She watched Ami continue to stand, lips pursed in thought.

"Mizuno."

"Yes."

"How's your shoulder?" she asked.

"Fully healed," Ami said, returning to the spot she'd left for her, "thank you."

"How did you hurt it, if you don't mind me asking?"

Ami sighed. "It is best you don't know."

She remembered the first time she saw Ami, her bag soaked and head dripping wet. "Was it them?"

"Kino-_san_, please."

"I don't understand why you don't stand up to them."

"You did, and look where it got you."

"How did—" She stopped herself, sighed. "Of course you know."

"You aren't surprised?"

"I shouldn't be surprised you and information go hand in hand."

"You make it sound like I actively seek out private information."

"Do you?"

Her slight hesitation was unexpected. "You hide yourself well. But it was obvious you were aware of my predicament. That, and your comments led me to this deduction. I did not pry into your past, I assure you."

"I believe you." Makoto busied herself with her lunch, and the conversation went silent.

Ami glanced at her watch, nibbling absently at her sandwich. She checked her phone. "For what it's worth, Kino-_san_, I think what you did is admirable."

She snorted. "Though the basic idea is right, your assumption is way off. There's nothing admirable about it."

"Hm."

"What?"

"Nothing."

"What is it?" she demanded again. Ami didn't deserve that, but she could not help her defensiveness of the subject. "Something else clicked in that brain of yours?"

"Yes," Ami said pointedly. "You left your old school. Therefore, your situation must have ended badly. You used excessive force, most likely. The only reason for that would be because you let your emotions overwhelm you. That is one aspect I cannot say I admire you for."

She clenched her fists. "You're not the only one."

"It is appearing to be for good reason."

Her voice rose. Ami didn't know the facts. Yet despite the truth of her vague statements, she didn't like that a stranger was judging her. "You don't know—"

"What happened to her?" Ami met her rising anger head on. Oh, how infuriatingly accurate her deductions were getting.

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Then I would be grateful if you would also stop bringing up my problems and thinking you know best when history seems to indicate otherwise."

She pulled her knees up to her chest, dropping her head, eyes squeezed shut. Her body shuddered at the memory, so dark and twisted. It wasn't something she wanted to remember, especially not when it was the second time in her young life she'd had to experience such things.

* * *

"You did _what_?"

Usagi nodded fervently, although Rei had no way of seeing that on the other side of the call line. She stumbled on the steps a she responded to Rei's shout of disbelief. "You should have seen it, Rei. It was amazing! I didn't know _Youma_ could—"

"Usagi, did you hit your head?" Rei continued to lay out barrages of reprimands. "Have you gone crazy with all the demon fighting?"

She scowled. "It wasn't that bad. I mean, that _Youma_ was pretty tricky. It was the only way."

"It was dangerous! Why didn't Ami stop you?"

"Actually, I was following Ami's lead."

"I want to speak to her," Rei promptly said with all seriousness.

"You're not going to shout at her too, are you?" she asked worriedly, pushing open the rooftop door.

"I am going to shout at her, and I am going to shout at Luna," Rei stated threateningly.

"Luna wasn't with us at the last fight."

"I will shout at her for not being there to stop you two."

She chuckled and shifted the phone to her other ear while she looked around the garden for Ami. Turning to their usual spot, she saw a sight that stunned her in its unexpectedness. Makoto was on the floor, in a heart-wrenchingly shrunken silhouette of her taller self. Ami stood above her, holding out a can of cold tea.

"Usagi?" Rei called. "You still there?"

"Yeah. Hold on a sec."

Makoto noticed her, blinking rapidly. She then took Ami's offer with thanks, chugged down a few mouthfuls, and waved. Ami straightened, and shrugged at her questioning look, returning to her seat next to Makoto.

"Usagi."

"Sorry." She jolted into action, dropping down next to Makoto. "Ami's here. I'll hand you over."

Ami took the phone. Though Usagi's ears were on the inaudible chatter that hardly sounded like shouting, her eyes were planted onto Makoto in concern. Ami sighed. "Rei, if you truly wish to remain separate from this life, you have to stop asking about it."

"Tell Rei to call back if it's going to take long," Usagi said when Ami got up to move further away. "My parents will kill me if I exceed my plan limit again."

Ami raised a hand in acknowledgement.

Makoto peered over her shoulder as she peeled the wrapping off her _onigiri_. "_That_'s what you're having for lunch?"

She smiled sheepishly. "Forgot my lunch box, went to the cafeteria, realised I left my wallet in my schoolbag, and by the time I returned to the cafeteria and suffered through the insanely long queue, all the good stuff were gone."

Makoto sighed exasperatedly. "You can hardly call that lunch."

She nodded in passionate agreement. "One's definitely not enough to get me through the rest of the school day. I'll be lucky if my stomach doesn't start grumbling until after last period."

Makoto laughed softly. She plucked the rice balls from her hands and replaced the emptiness with a large container of delicious-looking delicacies that could only come from a fine-dining restaurant. Usagi was practically drooling. "I'm not that hungry. You can fill yourself up with that. It's much better."

"I can tell," Usagi said, licking her lips. "I think I'm in love."

"Just don't make funny noises once you start tasting them," Makoto teased.

She took a bite, closed her eyes, and moaned exaggeratedly, earning a sputter from Makoto who had just taken a sip of her tea. And she did so again for the next couple of bites amid hearty laughter from the taller girl, stopping when Makoto still couldn't decide whether to laugh or to cough.

"God, Usagi." She wiped her sleeve across her wet eyes and chin, and cleared her throat. Usagi grinned at the smile that now formed on her face, bumping her shoulder amicably before going back to indulge normally in Makoto's generosity; the only sounds she made this time were words of sincere praises. After a while, Makoto bumped her back.

"Thank you."

* * *

Usagi stretched her hands up above her head, her bag dangling precariously from her fingers. With a yawn, she rolled her shoulders, working out the stiffness she had gotten from landing on it in the last fight with a stray _Youma_. Luna strolled along on the wall fences beside her, occasionally warning her of oncoming cars.

"I think we should have a meeting," Luna suddenly said.

Usagi hardly started as she would have weeks ago, now able to fully trust that Luna wouldn't speak unless there were not outsiders around. "Oh?"

"You, me and Ami," Luna continued. "Tomorrow night should suffice."

"Ami'll join us tonight for training. Why not tonight?"

"Tonight is training. Tomorrow is a meeting."

"What's the difference?"

Luna slowed down, and Usagi dropped to her pace. "If it goes well, we might be talking battle strategy. It might take a long time."

"Again, what's the difference?" Usagi asked. She thought back to the few nights the three of them were together. "Some nights after training, Ami would reveal cases of human attacks she was sure were _Youma_ doings. We'd discuss how to fight it, and it'd be done. It's the same thing."

Luna stayed quiet for the next five minutes, her cat eyes narrowed and frequently shifting onto her. Usagi grew a little nervous at the wait.

"You admit that you and Ami have been pretty proactive at fighting _Youma_." Luna quickly cut her off before she could open her mouth. "Under the claims of protecting the innocent, the end result is that you approach and fight a _Youma_, a member of the enemy Dark Kingdom. And essentially, Ami is no different."

Her silence was her confession.

"Do you remember when Ami said there were at least four leaders of the Dark Kingdom?"

The _Shitennou_.

"Jadeite has been defeated, but another one showed up."

"He helped us."

"He helped you under pretence of defeat," Luna pointed out. "Who knows what his true motives are? Maybe these aren't stray _Youma_ that were under Jadeite's command—unlikely given their inefficiencies, but what if. Maybe they're under this new guy's. The M.O. is certainly different; gone are the mass attacks. The most a _Youma_ has attacked at one time was five college students. In the individual cases, some have actually died."

Her eye twitched at that, recalling the anger she felt when Ami first revealed the case. "Ami said only one _Youma_ is left. She's close to pinpointing its pattern and location. Then we'll get it."

"And Tokyo will be safe, right?" Luna cocked her head. "What about the rest of Japan? The rest of Asia? What about the rest of the world where _Youma_ are still attacking humans? Where the other three leaders are still commandeering these attacks with more efficiency than these strays; where the _Youma_ are attacking with violent purpose and skill unlike these aimless strays.

"Will you stop at just Tokyo? Maybe your heart is big enough and you'll be willing to travel. But you know that's not enough, don't you? That's not possible. The only way to stop them is to get to the top and bring down the head. The question is: Are you willing to do that? Are you ready to go all the way now?"

Usagi looked away. Despite the fact she and Ami had already taken down three _Youma_ since the defeat of Jadeite, she was still very afraid. No matter how much she tried to soften her story-telling, Rei was right. Sometimes, they had to resort to very dangerous feats to win. Both of them had come close to being struck fatal wounds several times; one particular _Youma_ even had the ability to strip them of their senses—it was a miracle that Ami had somehow managed to blast icy fog into its head to turn the tide, or they would have been mangled corpses in the sewers by now.

"Luna, come here." She held out her arms, beckoning the cat to jump to her. "Do you think we can win? Just the three of us? Be honest, what are our chances?"

Luna nuzzled against her cheek, speaking softly. "You are strong, Usagi. So strong I feel like you can save the world by yourself." Then she pulled back. "But it is a belief in my heart that hasn't been proven. It is a bias brought upon by my wish for you to stay alive. You need Rei, and you need the fourth Guardian. That may not even be enough. You may need the Silver Crystal."

"And the Princess has the Silver Crystal."

"Maybe," Luna said, looking lost. "I'm sorry. I don't know. I wish I did. I try every night to interpret my fragmented memories. But I'm not getting anything useful. I… I don't know where to start, Usagi."

"That's okay, Luna." She placed on hand behind Luna's head, pulling her into a hug as if hugging a baby. She cooed at Luna's almost unnoticeable sobs, pressing her cheek against her soft head. "We'll keep trying, Luna. It'd work out, I'm sure of it."

She saw her neighbour outside, knelt down beside her gate as she scrapped away at the moss growing at the base of her wall.

"_Obaa-chan_," she greeted, "how're you?"

Jun stopped her work and peered up from under the brim of her sunhat. "Oh, Usagi. Back from school I see."

"You really love your garden, don't you?" she noted.

Jun smiled, and stood up, stretching her back. "Too bad I'm getting too old to work on it for hours like I used to."

She waved her free hand. "You can hardly be called old, _obaa-chan_."

"Oh, you flatterer, you," Jun said, pretending to blush. She tugged playfully on one of her twin locks. "My son visited me yesterday with a box of lovely English biscuits. Why don't you come in and help me finish it?"

"Sorry, _obaa-chan_. Can I take a raincheck?"

Jun stared at her silently, looking a little saddened. Usagi wondered anxiously if she had offended the elderly woman. Then Jun reached out and tenderly stroked the side of her face.

"Take all the time you need, Usagi," she said, with a small, fond smile. "We'll be waiting for you when you're ready."

* * *

It was always boring walking to school in the early mornings. It was still quiet, the sky was a dull blue and she was still half asleep. All signs pointed to the fact no one should be awake at this hour. It was one of the reasons she often claimed was behind her frequent sleep-ins. Running in a mad desire to beat the bell kept her awake longer, gave her exercise, and took away the boredom of strolling through lanes and scenery she had passed thousands of times already. It was proof enough that she had hardly stopped yawning since she left the house.

"Damn Luna waking me up early today," Usagi grumbled, stifling another yawn. When Ami joined them for training, it was always more gruelling than other nights. While they didn't touch on the physical aspect of it that Luna oversaw—stamina and strength training, martial arts and basic parkour—Ami's training involved the more exhausting magical control. Precision, speed of activation, control of over attack levels, blind spots were among her objectives to improve. Usagi had no idea throwing ten low-powered attacks at a target behind a tree within ten seconds could drain her energy so. It got worse if she missed, as she'd have to repeat the drill, testing her endurance as well as her control.

She shouldn't complain though. Her improvement was drastic, and the practice had proved more than useful. Besides, Ami had it tougher with trying to change her power for more offensive uses. It was one thing to improve something that could already be done; it was a whole other matter to do something that hadn't been done before.

Usagi paused at the entrance to a small public playground, tilting her head at the strange sound that lingered around. While entering, she tried to place it. It wasn't chirping, but it did sound like the whimper of a small cat or dog. She scanned the area; the swingsets, seesaws, small jungle gym and slides gave no signs of occupants. The playground was empty as far as she could tell.

Shrugging, she decided to leave. The sound grew louder. A cry, she realised.

There was a concrete tube tunnel at the far end of the playground. She headed over, peering inside. A little girl was curled up inside, right in the middle of the tube, sobbing into her arms. She couldn't be more than five years old, in dirtied yellow overalls with long black hair.

"Hey, kid," Usagi said as gently as she could, "are you all right? Are you lost?"

The girl jumped. Her face was tear-streaked and she looked scared. Usagi tried to look as unintimidating as possible, which wasn't difficult.

"Don't worry, I won't hurt you." She smiled softly. "Are you lost?"

The girl hesitated, then nodded.

"Do you know where your home is?" She held out a hand. "I can help you find your home if you'll let me."

The girl sniffed, but didn't say anything. Usagi decided to try another approach.

"My name is Usagi. I'm fourteen years old. Well, actually I'll be fourteen in a few days. What's your name?"

"Kurono."

"Kurono, that's…a pretty name." She ducked her head in. "Well, Kurono, would you like to come out? It'd be easier to get you home that way."

The girl looked away, burying her face back into her arms. "I can't," she mumbled.

Usagi frowned, but quickly removed it in case the girl saw her. "What's wrong? Are you hurt?"

The girl just started crying. In the darkness of the tube, the shadows cast over her, hiding any signs of injury. Usagi stood up and exhaled slowly, looking back toward the streets for someone. She was never very good with kids; it would be much easier if a policeman, or any nice-looking passer-by, would just stroll by and she could hand the girl over to him. Checking that she still had time before school started, she crawled into the tube. Worse came to worst, she'd leave the child alone for a few minutes to get someone from a nearby police station.

* * *

Ami tapped her pen against her desk, repeatedly and loudly. She glared at the blank piece of paper in front of her, untouched since fifteen minutes ago when she first read the essay task. Never had schoolwork taken her that long to begin, and it tore at her patience. There were so many things she wanted to complete before the meeting with Luna and Usagi in two hours. She had yet to review her supercomputer's latest analysis on the Silver Crystal, as well as the compilation of worldwide mysterious attacks of the past year. Knowing what Luna wanted to discuss today, she had wanted to prepare in advance, but it didn't look like it was going to happen.

She read the question again, but the problem was undeniably still there. She was tempted to submit an empty paper. Better yet, she was tempted to write an essay that explained the various contradictory requirements of the assignment, rather than what she thought the teacher might be looking for. How a question could be so badly worded was a mystery to her.

Frustrated, she quickly made an educated guess on what the teacher was looking for and wrote it down. She didn't like it, for if her deduction was wrong, her essay was wrong. And if her essay was wrong, she'd get a bad mark.

Ami didn't get bad marks.

When she was done, she packed her things for the next school day after the weekend. She didn't bother with tenth-grade subjects on the weekends. The weekends were for advanced, university-level topics. Oftentimes, she questioned her mother's decision to keep her in high school. She understood that it was her mother's way of trying to give her back a childhood, but it bored her, and it held her back from her full potential. There was nothing for her in high school.

Or so she would say until just over week ago. She had made a friend, albeit one in a junior grade, but still older than her. Even one classmate she was on better terms with had recently commented that she had changed—she was noticeably more tolerable toward people who made idiotic statements. She had even found her black angel.

Ami sat on her bed, leaning against the wall. Her supercomputer was in her hands, a blinking light in one corner reminding her of a new analysis. Within Tokyo, of the eleven _Youma_ attacks that had occurred since Wednesday last week, three had common features: the victim, young school-goers, would turn up dead with small cuts at their necks or wrists, though it was not the official cause of death; family statements indicated that the victim had gone missing for two days; all three bodies were found in playgrounds. The other eight cases had been solved and the associated _Youma_ destroyed. Now, only one was left.

Something beeped. She looked up, thinking. It wasn't her mobile phone, nor was it the house phone in the lounge, or her mother's fax machine. It wasn't her computer, and her mother always brought her laptop to work with her. It must be her supercomputer.

Luna's face popped up at the tap of a button. "Ami! Usagi's missing!"

She frowned. The background behind Luna's head was unusual. "How did you get me on this thing?"

"Ami, didn't you hear what I said? Usagi is missing!"

"Calm down. Are you sure?"

"Is she with you?" Luna asked.

"No."

"Well, she's not at home and she's not at the arcade," Luna said, growing frantic again.

"Hold on, let me try her mobile." She didn't even get a dial tone before the operator told her the phone was out of service. "Did you try Rei's?"

"Not yet. Her place's too far on foot."

"I'll call her." Rei picked up on the third dial tone. "Rei, it's Ami. Is Usagi with you?"

There was immediate worry in Rei's voice. "No. Why?"

"Luna thinks she is missing."

"Do you?"

"I want to check another place before I say anything," she said. To Luna, "Where are you now?"

"At the arcade."

_Of course you are. In that hidden room I'm sure._ She would let it go for now. Luna had always been shifty about it; with Usagi potentially missing, she would outright ignore the subject. "You can check the business district. Pay special attention to cafes and restaurants, and teenage entertainment centres like the cinema or karaoke bars. I will check Osaka-_san_'s place, and if she is not there, I will check around the route she takes to school."

"What can I do?" Rei asked.

"We don't know for sure that there is trouble yet," she said calmly. "Luna and I are already covering the potential places Usagi might be. There is no use for you to check random areas. At least, not until we have determined she is not in her usual places."

"I can't just sit around doing nothing."

"You can read that strange fire of yours for her whereabouts."

"I'll call you out about that 'strange' comment later," Rei said. "All right, keep me updated."

Ami slid her phone into her jeans pocket and went over to her closet, pulling on a light hooded jacket. From the bed, she heard Luna's shaky voice. "Ami, I have a really bad feeling."

She was grim when she returned to the tablet. "We will find her."

No matter her calm exterior, her insides were churning.


	9. Deteriorating Progress

_**Chapter Nine: Deteriorating Progress**_

He had been led into a trap. Now, only two moves too late, he realised his mistake; such a fool, to be deceived so easily. He had seen it many times; it had been used many times on him, yet half the time he never saw until it was too late. The game was different, different pawns were used, different positions taken, but always the same trap. Always only two possible ways out, with a large sacrifice each. Even if he survived, there was hardly a reason to continue. He would be so severely disadvantaged that it was useless.

He reached out, uncertain. Which was it that always allowed him to survive the longest? Zoisite's lazy drawl stopped him.

"This happens so often I think I need to give you a handicap next time."

Nephrite pulled back from the rook, and thought again. Should he sacrifice the queen? They were both powerful pieces; he couldn't decide.

"I'll give you a hint," Zoisite continued. "Your good point is you know your opponent, and you know how they operate. Your problem is that you never think more than four steps in advance. And that your style doesn't bode well with mine. Hey, that's three hints. If you don't win this round, I'll be petitioning for your demotion."

He grunted. "You've been awfully talkative lately."

"Things are heating up. I have something to talk about now."

Snorting, he leaned back and gestured to the chess board in between them. "Right. It's so exciting to see how I'll escape this one."

"Jadeite can easily do it." Zoisite leaned his chin against the palm of his hand, smirking. "Now that you've offered yourself to take his place, you can't stick to only good ol' Nephrite tactics anymore."

"Are you telling me I should attack in Jadeite's style?"

He shrugged. "Well, Jadeite lost. So you can take that with a grain of salt."

"Then what are you trying to say?" Nephrite exhaled frustratingly, tired of the younger general's games.

Zoisite waited for him to make the next move before responding. "Do you enjoy the shadows, Nephrite?"

"What?"

"I don't." He chuckled. "In fact, strangely enough, no one in the Dark Kingdom does. Not even Queen Beryl." He paused. "Well, I can only think of one. Remember Jadeite's creepy little bat that even he himself despised?"

"How could I not?" Nephrite scowled. "Disgusting creature. We have codes against such playing."

Zoisite nodded. "Yeah, we have codes. And we have honour. Honour as _Shitennou_."

"What are you implying?" He kept his voice even, mind over heart. He gave out criticisms, he would accept them. If someone were to offer him help, who was he to reject them? He was just one of the many enforcers of the Dark Kingdom's growth; the Dark Kingdom was all that mattered, and anything that helped him, helped the Dark Kingdom. "That my preference for stealthier attacks and ambushes are not honourable?"

"Oh, they're more than honourable enough for the Dark Kingdom."

He finally understood. "But not for the _Shitennou_."

Zoisite shrugged, moving a pawn in his way. "I'm not saying that. Snipers can be just as honourable as those who directly engage the enemy, even if they are able to pick off the opponent like flies. But," he added with a touch of force, "even a sniper gives respect to a strong target."

"Or risk being caught off guard."

"Indeed." Zoisite stared at him pointedly. "You have a power uniquely suited to facing the Sailor Guardians. You could win. But never forget respect. Never forget that you are one of the _Shitennou_ first, and the enemy of Sailor Moon second."

* * *

Usagi was not with Naru. That, Ami was certain despite not entering the residence. From her view of the dining room, the four members of the Osaka family were ending what seemed a jovial family meal. Ami didn't bother to call the girl out; she didn't want to compound the discomfort with the fact that she wasn't supposed to know where Naru lived. She was about to leave when she saw Naru picked up a phone. It was a speed dial number. And when her eyesight did not allow her to read her lips, she brought up her visor and reaffirmed her suspicions. Naru looked more anxious when she couldn't get Usagi.

Ami began to jog to her starting route. This could only mean that Usagi hadn't gone to school. No matter how much she complained about it, Usagi would never skip classes without good reason. So, somewhere between her house and the school, Usagi had disappeared.

She couldn't decide which was worse: that it was a _Youma_ attack, or that it was by a human.

_Stop it._ There was no proof that something bad had befallen Usagi. It was just as likely that she had come across a box of dumped kittens and—_And what?_ No one had seen Usagi for at least five hours, and at most twelve. The best, and depressingly optimistic, resolution to this was that Usagi was unconscious in the hospital, who couldn't contact her family because she didn't have any identification on her. Ignoring the fact that being in a hospital was never good, Usagi had left in her school uniform. It wasn't difficult for the administration to track down her school, and a quick description got them her name and emergency contact numbers. Unless she didn't—

_Stop it._

Ami had a pessimistic outlook in life. She preferred to call it pragmatism, but the practical world was pessimistic anyway; there was hardly a line in between. The more she considered the possibilities, the worse it got. And so, she stopped thinking. It became a mindless search as she trailed the pathway, peering into ditches, into drains, wandering through tiny lanes that separated buildings. Perhaps if she hadn't stopped thinking, she would have done what she did best. Ami didn't do things mindlessly. If she were her usual self, Ami would have immediately whipped out her supercomputer and hacked into a reconnaissance satellite. She would've been able to track Usagi since she left home up until the exact time and place she disappeared to.

But Ami was not herself right now. She was wracked with worry and dread. She didn't want to think, for if she did, she was sure she would break down.

* * *

Rei concentrated into the Holy Fire. It was all she had been doing for the last hour—meditating, focusing and listening. They said she talked to the fire, and they were not wrong. The problem was that the fire didn't always talk back. It was a tempestuous thing; it demanded respect, and it demanded a clear mind. It demanded a coolness to withstand its fiery will.

But Rei was far from her usual calmness. And the Holy Fire would not entertain a weak-willed prayer.

She needed a break. Five minutes, she gave herself five minutes to rest her mind. Then she had to return to the Holy Fire, for Ami had not called her, and Usagi was missing, and she was getting very, very distressed. And Rei normally had a strong hold on her emotions. If something got to her, it was the surest of indications that it was bad.

Had she decided wrongly? Was it a mistake to shun her Guardian ability? She had made her decision quickly, too hastily, she sometimes thought. She remembered the darkness of that world that drowned out all thought and speech; her confusion when she saw a young man, so human, so demonic, and her destructive reaction toward him. She remembered thinking over and over again: Had she just committed a murder?

It still haunted her to this day. Even though she knew he was evil, that he had attacked and kidnapped so many innocent people, she hurt at the thought. For as far as Ami could tell, he had not caused any deaths by the attacks he commandeered. And she had killed him because she remembered his eyes. His eyes that had roamed over her as he touched her, wanted her. His eyes that promised the end for her.

It didn't matter that he was about to kill Usagi. She didn't know then that the strange girl in the strange attire was Sailor Moon, was Usagi. She didn't kill him to save Usagi. She killed him to save herself.

It was no excuse. She had killed a man, and she had done so with Guardian powers. So her Guardian powers had to go.

But how could she not acknowledge the pain of her friends? Ami was bleeding so badly it brought back a memory she couldn't recall. Usagi was crying, just glad to be alive. The sight of those tears drew her, inviting pleasant peace and company. She knew she could protect them. Without her, they would have been dead then. She knew in her heart that she was meant to be by their side.

But if she joined them, it was a kill or be killed situation. She could not die. She could not leave her grandfather alone to suffer the agony of the death of another child. And she had to kill to ensure that.

She wasn't strong enough for that mindset.

Rei stepped out onto the veranda. It was warm that night, stifling and humid. The rainy season had started late this year. It would begin to rain soon.

Her prediction came true, as expected. She was surprisingly accurate when it came to the weather; it was one her spiritual repertoire she was grateful for, and unafraid of. It was not normal to have spiritual powers. She doubted it was a Guardian power; Ami and Usagi showed no signs of having the same ability, and there was absolutely nothing divine about a talking cat. She had learned long ago to accept her abilities. It did not mean she was not fearful of what she was capable of.

The pitter-patter of the light shower reminded her that her self-imposed time limit was more than over. The longer she wasted precious minutes, the longer Usagi was stuck out in the rain. But it was useless to return to the Holy Fire. Her mind was still flustered—it was not just Usagi anymore; it was everything!

A shadowed figure came into view from the steps up the hill. Rei squinted against the rain and dark, briefly wondering what kind of idiot would decide to run in the rain. It was a petite person, her—by the way her wet clothing clung to her—face shrouded by the hood of her jacket. A lighted lantern somewhere lit across her face and Rei gasped, reaching for an umbrella and running out before it was even opened.

Ami stopped when they came close enough to huddle under the umbrella. She didn't say anything, her shoulders rising and falling with each gasping breath she took. Her hood hadn't done much against the splatters of the rain. Eventually, her breathing slowed, and she pushed her hood back. The question was all over her anxious face.

Rei's silent answer was just as clear and Ami moved to leave.

"Wait." She grabbed Ami's wrist and pulled her back under the umbrella. "You know better than to keep wandering like that. Especially at night and when it's raining."

"What else can I do?" Her voice was so weak, so distraught. It tore again at a memory that refused to return.

"Come in. Rest. Clear your mind before you decide to go out again." Oh, the irony. She was one to talk.

"I can't…" Ami pressed a hand to forehead, closing her eyes. "I can't stop. I have to keep moving."

She had to pull her back again. "Ami, just stop!" She lowered her voice. "Just stop for five minutes, okay? Let me change, and I'll come out with you."

Five minutes became ten. Ten minutes became half an hour. Rei dragged out the time it took for her to change, she forced Ami to dry off, she prepared tea. She kept things mundane to calm the other girl, to wait out the rain. When she lost sight of Ami, she worried that she had overdone it. When she found her in one corner of the living quarters, slumped against wooden panels of what made a wall, she didn't know what to think.

Ami's eyes were glazed over, unseeing. Her lips moved silently, forming incoherent, inaudible words.

* * *

Makoto loved the rain. She loved it even more if it thundered and the sky lighted up for the briefest moment. For in that one moment, the darkness above gave way and the world was drowned out. And it was as if she had gotten a glimpse of heaven then and there.

Makoto loved the rain, and if she wasn't careful, she would sometimes find herself standing out in the open like a madwoman worshipping the thunderstorm. Fortunately, today's rain was a mere drizzle, a light shower that the lazy would not be concerned with an umbrella if they were headed a short distance. Makoto had a ways to go before she reached home and a bag full of groceries, thus she waited under the shelter of a bus stop, content to listen to the gentle sounds of rain drops.

It wasn't long before she saw a small figure darting around a corner at the opposite site of the road, running at a constant, but decidedly unhurried, speed under the rain. It was a jogger's pace, and Makoto thought it strange that someone would ignore the shelters passed, yet was in no more hurry to reach his or her destination in this rain than when it was clear. The person's face finally came into view, and Makoto was even more bewildered.

She cupped her hands around her mouth. "Mizuno!"

But Ami didn't hear her, or she was ignoring her. And soon, she was out of sight. Makoto shook her head, adding to her already long list of curiosities that was the three—Usagi, Ami and Rei.

* * *

"You must miss your father a lot."

The little girl pulled back, her black eyes filled with such sadness and loneliness and…something else. Her eyebrows were low, and there were tear-streaks running down her pale cheeks. In the blackness where no light shone, the girl's black hair still shone with mesmerising brilliance, her gleaming skin so naturally unnatural. She sniffed once, wiped her teary eyes, licked her blood-red lips.

"It hurts," she whimpered, and then she leaned into her neck again.

Usagi let out a breath at the sensation. "I can't…even imagine if my father, if any…of my family members, were to die."

The girl moaned into her neck. Usagi blinked, her fingers pressing slightly against the girl's back; the girl who was currently straddling her lap. "Your mother must be worried sick," she said absently. "We…should get you home soon."

The girl—what was her name again?—stopped, and lifted her head to gaze into her eyes. She pouted, and Usagi blankly noticed how the blood matched her lips perfectly.

"Did you hurt yourself?" She shifted under the weight of the girl, puzzled at how heavy the tiny girl felt, how heavy her head was. "Come, we can clean you up once you're home."

Kurono. Her name was Kurono. Kurono began to cry.

"What's wrong?" She frowned slightly, raising tired hands to brush away the long strands of hair that hid the little girl's face. The girl sobbed long and relentlessly, refusing to submit to her gentle cooing. Usagi could only wait it out, rubbing her hand comfortingly against the girl's small back. It wasn't a long wait, and for that she was glad. She was so tired.

Usagi reached up to wipe at her tears. Kurono held her hand to her cheek, then turned her face into her wrist. Again, Usagi took at sharp breath.

"Tell me what's wrong," she said softly. "Maybe I can help. I want to help you…Kurono. You can trust me."

Kurono sighed sadly. She removed her lips from her wrist and hugged her hand to her chest, as if holding a teddy bear. "My father was killed," she whispered, lips quivering. "Someone killed my father."

"You poor thing."

"He was the best father," she continued. "So strong, so passionate, so handsome." A sniff. "I'm so lost without him. I don't know what to do."

Usagi felt for the child; her heart reached out for the camaraderie in another person, someone who understood her feelings of loss and uncertainty, albeit blanketed by a thick sense of exhaustion. She felt weighed down, crushed under the heaviness of her heart. She felt dazed and tired, as if she were waking in a dream. Somewhere in her mind, she knew there was somewhere she had to bring the girl. But it was a fleeting thought, and she gently pulled the girl into a comforting embrace. "You must miss your father a lot."

The little girl nuzzled into her neck, her little teeth nipping.

"It hurts."

* * *

Mamoru picked up the last dumpling, earning a defeated protest from Motoki. He grinned. "I bought dinner, I get the last bite."

Motoki huffed good-naturedly. "What happened to respecting your elders?"

"I respect my elders plenty."

"Reika doesn't count."

"Reika counts the most."

"I'm warning you, Chiba," Motoki said, pointing his chopsticks at him. "You control that infatuation of yours or you and I are gonna have a scuffle."

"Just a scuffle?" He laughed. "Hey, you may be taller but I have the mass, so for Reika's affections, I'm all for it."

Motoki snorted. "If she heard you now, she wouldn't think her little high school boy is as innocent as he seems."

"You doubt my interest in geology?"

He waved his hand. "Of course not. I've heard enough of your rantings for a lifetime. I should've stopped you a long time ago and saved my fill for Reika's lectures."

"You can always use me as your substitute."

"You're not fooling me," Motoki suddenly said, grinning at an undeclared victory. "I know what you're trying to do. And it's not stealing Reika from me."

"Oh?"

"Don't 'oh' me. You're trying to goad me into unravelling your fake fetish for older women and declaring that a younger woman suits you better. Younger women like Usagi, perhaps?" He raised an eyebrow quizzically. "I'm right, aren't I? You've got a thing for my Usagi."

"_Your_ Usagi?"

"I am as protective of her as I am of my little sister."

"Because Reika cares so much about you—and what a waste it is—I will let you decide who you want to save from me."

Motoki narrowed his eyes. "I will kill you." Then he shrugged, ending their play. "But you've been asking about Usagi a lot lately. Where did the interest suddenly come from?"

He remembered the day as clearly as the day he had woken up in the hospital. The way she made him laugh, her comforting familiarity, how she had listened to him rant about rocks again, how happy he had felt when he was with her. He remembered the frail, brave girl fighting evil, the same pain and loss in her eyes as she watched him on the rooftop. He remembered his shock, and his utter delight, when he saw they were one and the same. And how he had just broken down when she returned, safe and alive.

"I think it has always been there," he muttered.

"Huh." Motoki tilted his head, then began packing the take-away containers, his voice soft and cautious as he next spoke. "You might have a little trouble. I recall a certain stupid dark-haired boy with a rude sense of timing that Usagi was always grumbling about."

When Mamoru left the arcade later that night, he was in one of his contemplative moods. He wanted to talk to her badly. But he wanted to talk with her not only as Usagi, but as Sailor Moon. And for that, he would have to reveal things about himself he wasn't sure he was ready to share. He didn't know how to approach her, or whether she had truly forgiven him for his terrible first impression. He wanted to talk to her, to hear her voice, but he just didn't know how.

Every day, he made certain to walk through the park, to keep an eye out on the bus. He always stopped by Motoki's workplace after cram schools, if only for the pretence of discussing a new geology article with Reika when she would visit. Most of the time, he would subtly bring up the topic of a certain middle school girl Motoki was fond of, and he would try to get to know her that way. He had hoped the more he knew, the stronger his resolve to approach her.

He knew her name and her age. The name of her closer friends and the type of games she liked. She enjoyed the Sailor V stories and was particularly keen on the chocolate-strawberry milkshakes Motoki sometimes bought for her. He knew she had a small crush on Motoki, but was not interested in pursuing it further. When she came with her friends, she was always cheerful. When she came alone, she always seemed depressed.

And he wanted to be the one to take away that sadness.

He didn't know how long he had walked or where he'd gone to, and when he was finally aware of his surroundings, he found himself looking into a small playground within an unfamiliar residential neighbourhood. Something had compelled him here, and it wasn't something natural. It had called to him, drew his legs and heart while his mind was elsewhere. He didn't know how long he had been walking around in his Tuxedo Mask persona, but there was no doubt of the change in him.

But why? What was so special about this playground? It couldn't be that it was home to the Silver Crystal, could it? It was ridiculous that a dog had it all along and had buried it here in the ground. The Silver Crystal had to be somewhere more refined than this; it had to be somewhere more beautiful.

Still, he was here, and he had not had any successes elsewhere. And so he searched. He kicked away loose sand idly, he checked under the play equipment, around tree trunks and above among the leaves. He checked the tube tunnel.

It was dark and empty. And it reeked of something so foul he wanted to throw up.

* * *

"Are you sure this is the place?"

Ami barely even looked at her; she rubbed her eyes. "This is where Luna said she saw him."

Rei glanced around again, walked over to an obscure laneway, and seeing nothing, returned to Ami. "Then where is she? She would've beaten us here from the arcade."

"Maybe she thought she could track him," Ami said. "She said he wasn't being very covert when he walked past her in that tuxedo of his."

She scratched her head, rolling her shoulders against the discomfort she was feeling. "You can't contact Luna?"

"Not unless she is in that secret room of hers."

"So do we wait, or do we try to find either one of them?" She didn't wait for Ami to answer. "Never mind. We'll be productive. I might be able to sense something if we start walking around."

She led Ami onward, listening to her mumbles as she pointed out places she had already checked. Partly because she trusted her despite her unusual condition, and partly because her clairvoyant senses were prompting her forward, they moved at a good pace. Occasionally she would pull back, take Ami's hand and give it a quick squeeze. It was the best she could think of to comfort the other girl who was bordering on an anxiety disorder.

Eventually, it was proving to be working. Ami's breathing evened out and her eyes were more focussed. She had already taken out her supercomputer and was tapping systematically on it.

As they walked, it became more of a purposeful stride than a search. Rei ignored all the side lanes, each step she took was in reaction to the pulse of darkness that both repelled and drew her. She could feel it drawing close, taunting, threatening. She found herself directly in front of Ami, with a glare so intent her face hurt.

_There_. The playground.

"I see it," Ami whispered. It wasn't the same wisps of evil that Rei saw. Instead, she was looking at her screen.

"_Youma_," Rei said grimly. For the first time, she took out her transformation pen with the intention to use it. There was no way she would leave Ami to fight alone, especially not after what she had seen tonight.

"Wait." Ami pointed out a figure that was coming their way from a perpendicular lane just before the playground.

It was Makoto, carrying a heavy-looking paper bag in one arm as if it were nothing and sipping from a can with its body covered by a handkerchief. From over the rim of her drink, her eyes watched them as she walked past. They stared back. When parallel to them, she raised her can, her last three fingers outstretched in a small, silent wave. Rei nodded back.

Pulling Ami behind her, Rei moved so as not to seem to be suspiciously waiting for Makoto to leave. She marched onto the grassy area, nearly gagging at the dark stench. A scream ahead caught her attention. Too late, she was picked up by a shadowed tendril and tossed off her feet. The last thing she saw was the white wall rushing to greet her.

* * *

_She's in here!_

He swiped maniacally at the air, not willing to go all the way into the tube for fear of being sucked in himself and lose any advantage he had. His right hand gripped the outside of the tube, blisters forming as he held himself back, thrusting with all his might at the air inside with his other hand. There was nothing he could see, nothing he could grab. Yet he pushed, reaching out desperately, his fingers tingling.

She was in there and he needed to get her out quick!

Finally. He felt something more than static air, something soft and dangerously cold to the touch. He wrapped his fingers around it and tugged. Something snapped at his hand, but he didn't care. He just pulled and ignored the pain. Pulled until it bulged, and he saw an arm. Then a sleeve. Then her head, rolling limply at every movement. He released his right hand and reached under her other arm, jumping back in time to avoid the sharp teeth gnashing for his face. He dropped onto his back, immediately rolling on top of her to shield her from the creature.

A hideous scream reverberated down to his very bone, but the attack never came. He looked up and saw two girls not far away; one of them was the short-haired blue Guardian. The other one he didn't recognise, yet she was the one the demon—a demon child—riled up at the sight of. She rushed in a shadowed form at the black-haired girl, smashing her into the wall. The shadow returned to the form of the demon child next to the unconscious girl, lifting her up to her knees so that she was eye-to-eye with the demon.

She hissed and snarled, baring dripping fangs and sharp, black eyes. "You," she growled with such venom, uncaring that the girl was unconscious and could not hear it. "I know you. _You killed him_!"

"Hey." The other girl had transformed, and her face spoke volumes of her fear. "Remember me? I was there too."

The demon shrieked, her long black hair flaring. She dropped the one who could not fight back and escape. And she lunged toward her with crazed vengeance, tackling her to the ground before she could prepare an attack.

Mamoru gasped, scrambled to his feet, but they both disappeared when they hit the ground. His vision blurred, he didn't know what to do. How could he help the one he couldn't see? Should he check on the girl who was bleeding from her head? But what about—

Something darted around a corner—a cat. Luna. She went straight to the unconscious girl, nudging her, and then leaning her ears close to the girl's mouth. Seemingly relieved, she looked up. Her eyes widened, but it was not because of his presence.

"Usagi!" How her little legs carried her so fast he didn't know. She was at his feet in an instant, screaming for Usagi to wake up. "Help her, please!" There was so much human emotion in her cat eyes; he was briefly mindless. "Usagi's not breathing!"

He snapped out of his stupor, quickly kneeling down and checking for a pulse. _No_. Her eyes stared up lifelessly at him, her skin so pale and cold. Blood trickled from her neck and wrists, but he knew she hadn't lost enough to be this way. It was something else. Something that had just caused her heart to stop. Something that had drained her life energy away. _Youma._

He pressed his palm over her lower breastbone, the other hand over it, and began pushing. One, two, three… He counted to thirty, he timed his motions. Then he gently tilted her head back and pressed his lips onto hers, so dry and unresponsive. Two breaths, and then he repeated the cycle. Again and again. Until it should have been futile.

Yet he continued relentlessly, desperately. He willed the warmth in his hands to bring her back to life.

* * *

The world had suddenly gone black. The only thing she could see was the little girl who sat on her stomach, her tiny knees digging into her sides. Ami tried to frown—something wasn't right—but she was just so tired. She could barely keep her eyes open; her words were slurred when she tried to speak.

"You're a very bad girl," the little girl said, tracing a finger down her jawline, to her neck.

"I don't…understand." It was so strange. Her mind was a fog.

The girl clicked her tongue, shaking her head. She leaned down, caressing her neck with a sharp prick. Ami gasped at the dull pain, then wondered what she was hurting about.

"Hmm," the girl mumbled. "You're a little liar, aren't you?"

Ami didn't understand. She couldn't comprehend the muddled thoughts of her mind. It was the first time she had lost all sense of comprehension. She didn't like it. She was too tired to do anything about it. It was all so strange.

"Liar, liar, little liar," the girl breathed between mouthfuls of blood.

"I don't lie." Ami tried to shake her head; she didn't like the dizziness, the way her skin felt clammy and cold.

The girl stopped sucking, drawing back to look her in the eyes. "Ah, but humans are very emotional creatures, aren't they? They think keeping secrets is as bad as lying. Even if you haven't said one dishonest word, they'll hate you for that."

Ami nodded numbly. "I can never understand that."

"How true."

"What are you doing?" she asked when the girl had moved her head.

"Your blood is so sweet. So like the other one's. So much better than the rust of humans."

"I don't understand. Iron…"

"Magic," the girl replied softly. "Magic makes your blood sweet."

Magic. Ami didn't believe in magic, yet somehow, she knew it existed. No, not from the ridiculous books she'd read. Where, then? Where did the notion come from? Had she seen it firsthand? Was she magical? Something was pushing at the back of her mind, but no matter how hard she tried, it remained, always, out of her grasp. This wasn't right. She had exceptional memory—prodigious. Her mind hardly ever lost this much clarity.

Oh, but she was so tired.

Still, she considered her circumstances with obsessive detail. It had never stopped her before, it wouldn't now. The fact that she couldn't remember anything outside of this black emptiness left her with an irritated taste in her mouth. The fact that there was a young child, one she didn't know, drinking from her, and she was letting her, allowing the gruesome act as if it were the most natural thing in the world, was absolutely wrong.

"Hey." Her voice croaked softly, barely audible. But the girl heard her, and she lifted her head curiously. She barely had the strength to raise her left hand, but the girl helped her, holding her palm to her cheek tenderly. Ami hesitated. And the girl smiled, baring wicked fangs.

She shoved her thumb into the girl's right eye. Black blood splattered over her, into her mouth. The girl—the demon—screamed in pain and in anger, and pushed her face into Ami's hand, slashing sharp teeth against her palm and wrist. Sharp nails raked across her face, her shoulders and breasts. The black world was beginning to shatter and her weakness lifting. Ami grabbed the demon's small wrists with her right hand, willing her arm to stiffen, aiming the nails away from her. The demon was surprisingly not very strong.

"I'll kill you. I'll kill you!" She kept shrieking over and over.

Ami concentrated, finding her power. It bubbled inside her, ready to burst. She angled her palm, and released the attack, water flowing swiftly, but not carelessly, into the demon's face, through every pore and opening, drowning its insides. And when she was sure the water had reached vital areas—at least, as life-sustaining as it could be for _Youma_—she froze it, drawing inspiration from Jadeite that she had been practicing obsessively for more than a week. As beautiful as ice could be, she made it as fierce and dangerous as she could, forming spikes everywhere. She stabbed her hand in the process, but she didn't care. It worked, and the _Youma_ was disintegrating.

She closed her eyes, turned her head from the collapsing dust. When she reopened them, colour had returned and she was seeing dust-coated green grass. Immediately, she turned over on her side, spitting out the black blood. Then she began to vomit, both from the vile liquid that had entered her and from overexertion of her magic.

"Sailor Mercury!"

She blinked up at the small figure that was Luna, crouched next to two other larger figures. She spat out the remaining bile and crawled to her feet, staggering over. Idly, she touched her neck, wincing at the punctured flesh. Fortunately, no major artery had been torn; the little vampire was after the taste more than hunger. The rest of the gashes on her face and chest fared better. Her left hand would also heal.

She stared at Usagi's limp, unmoving form; at the man called Tuxedo Mask who was diligently performing CPR. Then she turned away.

"What are you doing?" Luna cried. "Mercury, where are you going?"

Ami faced her tiredly. "He is doing everything right. I am going to check on Rei."

"But Usagi!"

She was getting a headache, and the cat's cries were not helping. She fumbled for her visor. "Don't worry. Usagi is alive."

"What?" The man faltered, gaping up at her with tear-rimmed eyes. "But...I checked. And there hasn't been any response since."

She frowned. "I see life reading." He immediately went to check for a pulse. "But no heartbeat," she said for him, understanding slowly registering. "Stop the resuscitation." It was still improving. "Remove your hands." Now the reading had gone stagnant. "Hold hers." It improved again.

"What's wrong?" Luna asked.

"What kind of powers do you have?" she asked him instead.

He shrugged helplessly, clutching Usagi's hand for dear life. "I'm not quite aware of what's going on myself."

She watched them silently for another minute, until the first true signs of life appeared. First, a heartbeat. Then, her chest rose, barely noticeable at first; evident, by the third breath. Luna cried, burying her head into Usagi's shoulders. Even Tuxedo Mask stifled a sob, bringing her hand to his forehead, unwittingly kissing the back of her hand.

Ami should have been hysterical as well. After all her worry and despair earlier today, she would have thought Usagi's survival would fix everything. That she would perhaps break down in tears of relief that her friend was alive. But as she walked away toward Rei, she pressed a hand to her head. She could feel it.

She was regressing.

* * *

_Fuck. Oh, shit fuck._

Makoto clamped her hands over her mouth, trying to curb her panicked gasps. She scrambled away when the one she knew was Ami came closer to the edge of the playground, ducking into a side lane out of their sight. She pressed her back against the wall, begging her heart to stop beating so loudly.

She had seen it. Finally, she knew what had been bugging her about them. And she wished she hadn't succumbed to her curiosity and trailed them toward the playground when they weren't looking.

It was impossible. _That thing._ It had controlled the shadows; it had vanished into thin air. It had swatted Rei like a fly. It was a monster! A real-life monster!

And Ami—she had witnessed the petite, quiet one transform and take on the monster. _She's one of those Sailor somethings!_ They were all part of the Sailor mystery.

She was confused. What should she do? She did not want to confront them about it; it was too absurd. But she wasn't sure if she could pretend she never saw anything. She could never look at Ami the same again—she would always be the girl in the blue uniform soaked in blood now; a girl who came out of nowhere having defeated that fearful monster. And if she next saw Rei, walking and talking normally as if she had never been crushed into a wall…

And Usagi. Usagi with a talking cat. Usagi looking as dead as a corpse long buried, and then coming back to life with no adverse effects!

It was messed up. For the third time in her short thirteen and a half years of living, her world had decided to turn upside down again.

* * *

_**A/N:** How did you like my little demon? :)_

_Anyway, the reason for this Author Notes is this: I've begun writing the next chapter and there are a few formatting aspects that should be mentioned (I rather keep Notes at the end, so I'm doing it now instead of at the beginning of next chapter)._

_1. Italised text in Italised single quotation marks means the memory of a spoken word/sentence; or thoughts that are not quite the character's (different from an external voice, you should understand later). Example in Chapter 4, Usagi remembering Tuxedo Mask's comment about the Silver Crystal._

_2. Italised text in Italised double quotation marks conveys a dialogue that is being spoken in an inhuman voice. Different from _Youma_, imagine the kind of voice you would attribute to characters like Metalia, Master Pharoah 90, Chaos etc._

_3. Rest should be quite clear in their intentions._

_So, while I'm here, thank you to all who have reviewed so far. I really appreciate your thoughts on my story. It's very encouraging and keeps me writing (if there are 'off' things about it, please let me know too so I can correct and improve). Though I don't say it often due to my strange unwillingness for Author Notes, please know that I am always thankful. Thanks to PrincessAnnastacia, and Happy Belated Birthday! Hope you had a good one! Thank you V41N, your comments really let me know whether I'm portraying scenes in my writing right. Thanks Vipaka, your review was so encouraging. Thanks to inufan155687, Jovian Sun, LoveInTheBattleField and James Birdsong. And to those who are reading this too, hope you're enjoying the story.  
_


	10. Vulnerable Lightning, Part I

_**Chapter Ten: Vulnerable Lightning, Part I**_

Her mind was fuzzy. The last thing she remembered…she couldn't even remember that. She couldn't remember what day it was, what she had at her last meal, whether it was breakfast, lunch or dinner; she couldn't remember the last time she was this thirsty. It even took her a long time to recognise the little black lump crying near her head. Or those dark eyes above calling for her, and she found herself calling back for them though she did not know why.

"Usagi," Luna sobbed, rubbing her head against her cheek.

She giggled—a hoarse giggle—at how her cat's whiskers tickled. Her hand was heavy; still, she brought it up to pet Luna's head tenderly.

"How are you feeling?" Luna asked worriedly.

She offered a smile. "I…I feel good. A little tired. And thirsty. But….I think I'm all right. What happened?"

"A _Youma_ attacked."

"When?" She frowned, trying to get up on her elbows but failing, wincing at the pain around her ribcage. "I don't remember."

"Usagi, what day is it?

She startled; it was a male voice who asked that. Then she remembered that there were another pair of eyes looking at her when she had woken up. And there he was, stunning even amid the drying tears on his cheeks. Without thinking, she reached up, wanting to wipe the sadness away, but found that he was still holding onto her hand. She smiled, and lay back down. She didn't care that she was in her civilian form. "Friday, I think."

"Do you know where you are?"

She glanced around. "A playground?"

"Where were you heading before you got here?"

"School." It was slowly coming together. "I passed this place on the way. I…" She hesitated, thinking. "I heard a cry. There was a kid. A girl; long, black hair, about five years old. She was in that tube." She sighed, rubbing her eyes. "I can't remember anything else."

"That's okay." He nodded, looking relief. "That's okay. She was the _Youma_. She had some kind of hypnosis power. There's probably no brain damage. You're fine."

"Brain damage?" she asked loudly, her hoarse throat and sore ribs making it a wheeze instead.

He tenderly stroked her cheek. "Don't worry about it. You're all right."

"You saved me."

"It wasn't just me," he said, helping her get up. She groaned, clutching her sides. "Sorry."

She looked at him quizzically. Why was he apologising for saving her?

At her questioning gaze, he shifted uncomfortably. "Perhaps we should wait until you get better before we tell you the whole story. The cat can probably handle it, right?"

At their feet, Luna continued to stare at him. In the silence, Usagi was briefly side-tracked by the blood on her wrists and a new pain at her neck.

"Tuxedo Mask," Luna finally said remorsefully, "you saved Usagi. I thank you. You don't know how valuable she is, as a friend and a Guardian."

"I think I do." The familiar look he gave her made her heart thump longingly.

"Are you an ally?"

At that, he stepped away. She nearly fell at the loss of support.

"Will you work with us?" Luna continued.

He turned away. "I'm afraid that is not my mission."

"You're looking for the Silver Crystal."

"Yes."

"What do you want with it?"

"I'm not sure." He exhaled slowly. "I just need it."

"The Dark Kingdom is looking for it too."

"I am aware."

"So are we."

He started. He looked like he wanted to cry when he gazed back into her eyes. His eyes were full of sorrowful loneliness again. "Then we can't be allies," he said softly, taking a step back. "Be well, Usagi."

With a last look of regret, he ran off with the grace and speed not unlike that of a Guardian.

_We'll see each other again._

She closed her eyes, took a deep albeit painful breath. She turned to Luna, her emotions controlled at present. "Is Ami here?"

"Ami and Rei. Rei!" Luna's eyes widened, and she scampered away. Usagi stumbled after her, her steps quickening when she spotted the two figures on the ground. Ami was currently leaning over the other girl who was laid on her side on the ground, one hand at the back of her head.

Rei glanced up at her with slightly unfocused eyes. "Are you okay?" she asked.

She quickly wiped the tears that came, turning the potential sob into a smile for her friend. "I'm the one who should be asking you that. You look worse than me."

Rei tried to shrug, grimacing instead. "Ami won't let me up."

"You have a concussion," Ami said. Her response was a little slower than would be usual.

"How can you tell? I don't even feel nauseous or disorientated."

"Visor."

"Ah."

Usagi laughed. It turned into a horribly agonising cough. "God, why do I feel like I've been run over by a truck?"

Ami only replied after a short pause again, as if distracted or unfocussed. "He fractured a few ribs while performing CPR."

"CPR?" she cried. "Why the heck did I need CPR?"

"Not tonight, Usagi," Luna said softly, still looking shaken. "Please, let us have some rest first."

Rei scoffed. "I think we'll be resting here the whole night if Ami doesn't decide what she wants to do with me. She wants to take me to a hospital because it's bad; she doesn't want to because I'm supposed to be all healed up in a few hours."

Usagi chuckled, determined to avoid another racket of coughing if she had to laugh at Rei's abhorrence to being nursed. She slowly knelt down, tired.

"You're going to have a hard time getting up," Rei remarked.

"That's okay. It's a perfect night for an open air playground sleepover." She gasped. "Shoot, I was gone the whole day! My mom's going to kill me."

Luna groaned at her choice of words.

"I called your mother earlier to say that you had fallen asleep after a study session," Ami said. "I said you could stay over and she was agreeable."

"And she believed you?" She narrowed her eyes. "About the studying part?"

Rei burst into a short laughter, ending it with a painful groan as she squeezed her eyes shut. Ami frowned, removed the bloody cloth she held at the back of Rei's head and checked the wound. "Apparently, she had heard of me from your friend Umino-_san_. She seemed thrilled."

She snorted. "I bet." Then she grew solemn. Ami was acting very strange. "Ami, are you all right?"

Again, a slow response. "Reasonably, so far."

"Really? You look like you were mauled by a lion."

"By what I remember seeing of that demon, you're not far off," Rei answered. "But Usagi's right, Ami. I thought you'd be better now that she's safe."

_Better? What happened before?_ She would keep those questions to herself for now. Everyone, including herself, desperately needed a break. Ami looked the worst, both physically and mentally, though her wounds were not as deep.

"So, I guess I'll be staying over at your place tonight?" she asked Ami.

Ami shook her head. "My mother will be home tonight." At her questioning look, she added, "She can't see me like this."

"Rei?"

"My grandfather is pretty good at giving me my privacy. I think I can hide you guys in my room for a couple of days."

"Awesome. Sleepover at a shrine."

"You make it sound as excitable as doing something forbidden."

"For us common folk, shrines are for New Years. No one thinks of sleeping over or risk incurring the wrath of gods. Or angry _miko_s. Except for drunkards, by which we'll be seeing plenty of angry _miko_s."

Rei sighed dejectedly. "I'm truly saddened by the loss of appreciation for tradition in this modern world."

"I bet old souls like you have a hard time adjusting," she joked.

Before long, Ami finally deemed Rei well enough to move. As she helped her up, Rei tilted her head. "Hey, do you hear that?" She quickly shook her head at Ami's glare. "No, I'm not hearing bells. There are people in the houses around us, right? There was a loud scream before I got knocked out. No one heard?"

Ami looked around, her visor displaying information that only she could interpret. She turned to Luna. "How did you find us?"

"I heard the shrieks," Luna replied. She was now in a predatory crouch, the furs on her back standing.

Usagi swallowed; she was in no condition to be fighting another enemy. Neither were the others. But even as they waited, no attack came.

"Maybe we got lucky and they passed it off as a neighbour's television?" she suggested. "Or another ally used magic to somehow block the screams?"

"Maybe," Rei said unconvincingly. "But allies don't hide."

"Well, there aren't any enemies nearby," Ami said, lifting Rei into her arms despite the latter's objections. "We should leave while we can."

Usagi gave the area one last, careful glance before transforming and bounding after Ami.

* * *

"_Aren't we going to attack them?"_

Nephrite scowled, ignoring his shadow that was beginning to take a three-dimensional shape, protruding up from the rooftop next to him.

"_Hey, hey, Master. Let's do it. Let's attack them now."_ The shadow trembled with elated giggles. _"You take the Sailor Guardian and I'll have the human girls. We'll share the cat."_

"Not today," he said.

"_Why? Why not? Why why why why why?"_

"I don't want to involve civilians in the battle against the Guardians."

"_Don't be stupid, Master!"_ The shadow hissed and rose to twice his height, swaying threateningly. He ignored it until it shrunk back down. _"Think about it, Master. She's weak, and the human girls will be added distraction. We can win easily. It's an easy win, Master. Win win!"_

He rubbed his temples, sighing. It was not the first time he was annoyed by his shadow's idiosyncratic speech and constant pestering. Yet he attempted a different approach from the yelling Jadeite had always suggested. It was his shadow after all, even if it had its own consciousness. "One, I am _Shitennou_ first. I won't face my enemy in such shameful manner. Two, killing humans without first draining their energy is just wasteful. We will not be able to drain energies while fighting off a Guardian. Three, the humans have just lost most of their energy from the demon bat's attack. It's more efficient to wait until they recuperate. Four, that one Guardian defeated the bat all by herself. Are you aware of her prominence in the Dark Kingdom? We fight them after we've come up with a plan. As we always have."

"_You sound like Kunzite."_ The shadow growled. _"What if the human girls are also Guardians? Huh? What if, what if?"_

"We have no evidence of such."

"_The Guardian transformed from a human girl. We saw her transform into Sailor Mercury. Her friends could also transform. One of them Sailor Moon. Three Sailor Guardians? Yeah, yeah. That sounds right, doesn't it, Master? Three Sailor Guardians. One, two, three."_

"Four," he said distractedly, watching the three girls continue to interact below him. "Jadeite mentioned there was another possible one, famous among the humans. Sailor V. Her description is all over the town. She, and Sailor Moon, look nothing like those humans."

"_That human girl didn't look like the blue Guardian before she transformed. Not one bit. Nope. It only makes sense after you've seen them transform, see? See, Master?"_

"Glamour magic?" he muttered. It made sense. It was a simple spell any magical child or item could create; very strong, but once broken, it lost its hold over the eyes of the one who overcame it.

"_Yes, yes! Glamour magic. Annoying little pest, it is. Yes, indeed."_

"An empty battleground; we'll send the humans away." He nodded, a basic plan forming in his mind.

His shadow quickly picked up. _"Or, or we bring in the others. They can help attack the Guardians. Then, then if the Guardians lose them, they can attack the humans instead of chasing futilely."_

"We'll see. As Kunzite has said, we don't want the humans to know about us. Besides, the Guardians have had incredible success rates against _Youma_. It may be best to keep this just between us to minimise casualties on our side."

The shadow cackled. _"More for us!"_ It swayed giddily. _"Or, we invite Jadeite's strays. Yeah, Jadeite's strays that haven't joined the other _Shitennou_ battalions. They're not loyal to us, but they can die for us. Yes, yes, that sounds good! Doesn't it sound good, Master?"_

Nephrite grinned, matching the unseen one on his shadow. He turned his back on the girls still crouched in the playground, stepping back into his workplace within the Dark Kingdom centre.

"Come," he said to his shadow, "we have a wonderful plan to prepare."

* * *

"Don't you ever slow down, Rei?" Usagi grumped at the door, watching as Rei slid on her shoes. "Aren't you, like, in three after school clubs, _and_ you work here in the shrine the rest of your waking hours?"

"Two clubs," Rei corrected, picking up a long black bag that held her recurve bow and arrows. "The student council isn't a club."

"Same difference. You're always so busy." Usagi pouted. "The three of us are together. We won another round with the Dark Kingdom. We should hang out."

Rei eyed her. "You can barely stand straight and Ami still has cuts on her face. Neither of you are in any condition to be walking around town."

"You're still hurt too," she retorted.

"True. But I don't need my head to draw strings."

"Rei," she whined. "I have nothing to do here. You have nothing a young teenage girl can play with."

Rei sighed. "Usagi, I have a big competition come summer holiday. There are not many weeks left for me to practice. Besides, you have homework, don't you?"

"Since when did you become my mom?"

Rei grinned. "Well, if you really want something to do, I'm sure Grandpa would love the help. I have to warn you though, he's a little bit of a flirt."

"Flirty grandpa?" She began to peer toward the shrine grounds. "_That_ I have to see."

"You have been warned." Rei began to walk off, then she called over her shoulder. "If you're good, I might come back with a little treat."

"I like chocolates!" she promptly shouted. "And strawberries!"

Rei waved.

Usagi stayed out a while longer. By the time they had reached Rei's house last night, they had pretty much collapsed into a deep sleep after a quick clean-up. So it was easy for her to get up this early in the morning, considering she wasn't up playing games with Shingo till late as she always did on a Friday night. Rei's place up in the hill among lush trees with the woods behind was so different compared to her house. It was more peaceful, far away enough from the din of traffic and people, and it was incredibly refreshing.

She returned to Rei's room, finding Ami in one corner talking on her phone.

"Yes, mother, that is the one," Ami was saying. "Tomorrow." She listened. "I am not certain at the moment." A pause. "Define reasonable." Another pause. "I can do that. Yes. Yes. Goodbye."

"Everything all right?" she asked.

"Yes. Have you called your family?"

"I thought you said you called them last night."

"I did. But I never said anything about when you would return."

She waved her hand. "As long as I let my mother know I'll be back for dinner before she starts cooking, it's good."

Ami tilted her head. "So, you haven't checked your phone?"

"No. Why?"

"I think you should."

She complied, and nearly toppled over the chair she was sitting on from the number of missed calls. "They're all from Naru!"

"You did miss school yesterday," Ami reminded.

She pressed the 'Return Call' button, then quickly ended it before it connected. "Oh my god, I don't have a reason. What do I say?"

Ami shrugged.

"Thank you," she said sarcatiscally, hitting redial. It took long time for Naru to stopped shouting. It took even longer for her to console her friend until she had stopped being hysterical. For some reason or other, Naru had gotten it into her head that Usagi had been in some serious trouble. She tried to play it off, but when she hesitated to explain her disappearance, Naru got upset again. It was nearly an hour later, after promising that they would hang out the next day—she grudgingly accepted Umino's participation if Rei, Ami and Makoto could join their group as well—that Naru reluctantly let her go. Usagi promised herself that she would have to call Naru every day from then on.

The whole time, Ami had been sitting perfectly straight in her corner, her legs crossed, staring into nothing, though her mouth worked silently.

"Ami?" Usagi slid off her chair, crawling over. The other girl took a long time to react to her.

"You vouched for our presence even though you haven't asked us yet?"

Usagi started; she didn't think Ami had been listening. "Um, yeah," she said sheepishly. "Do you want to come? There's Naru, who you've seen, Umino—you've heard of him a few times—Yumiko and Kuri. They're all really nice people. Even Umino. In fact, he'll get a lot more hum—nicer with you around."

_See how he likes it when there's someone smarter than him hanging with us._

"Whether I go out or not will depend on how well I heal by tomorrow," Ami said. "However, I will pass."

"Do you have something to do?"

"Not particularly."

Her gaze dropped. "I would really like you to come, Ami."

"Why?"

"You're my friend, that's why. And I'm yours. And…" She brought her knees to her chest, leaning her shoulder onto the wall. She closed her eyes, shuddering at what Luna had told her earlier. "And I really want to celebrate that I made it to fourteen. I've never been so glad to have another birthday in my life."

Silence followed her confession. But she expected that. Ami didn't seem the type to be moved by emotive reasons. It surprised her when Ami groaned softly, clutching her head with a fierce look on her face.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

Usagi clambered to her knees, ignoring the sharp throb at her sides. "Ami, what's wrong?"

"I'm just…" Ami struggled to find words. "I am not in a good frame of mind, right now. I…"

"Was it the _Youma_?"

"No. It's…" She buried her face behind her knees, her voice muffled. "It is something I have to work out on my own. I have to get it under control."

"Get what under control?"

"I'm sorry, Usagi. Please, just give me some time."

* * *

When Rei had returned from the archery range later that afternoon, Usagi had dragged her to a secluded corner of the shrine's back garden and had begun a worrying tirade about Ami's meltdown. Rei listened carefully, making Usagi repeat herself if she thought the other girl was exaggerating. It didn't sound too bad, and she told Usagi as such, only to be opposed by another shaky exclamation.

"She was worse yesterday," she slowly admitted. Usagi started, blinking. And she continued. "Ami seemed really upset when she came to me before we went out to find you. But…she didn't seem upset in the usual way, like how we would cry and scream and do all sorts of stupid things. She just looked…withdrawn, is what I would say. Blank. It's only because of my, you know,"—she wiggled her fingers around her head—"that I could tell she was upset."

Usagi pressed her hands to her face, then looked skyward and growled loudly, and stamped her feet. _The epitome of upset_, Rei thought wryly.

"So this is my fault?" Usagi exclaimed tearily.

"No, of course not."

"You don't know that."

She pinched the bridge of her nose, sighing. "I have a feeling that this is something that goes back a long way for Ami. It's not something recent, I can tell that at least."

Usagi let out a loud, exasperated breath. "Why won't she tell me—us?"

"There are things people can't easily reveal to others, Usagi," she said gently. "Trust me, I know."

Usagi looked at her with firm eyes. "I don't think you need to hide your psychic abilities, Rei. Especially not from me. I won't ever judge you for that, I promise."

She offered a knowing smile. "That's not it, Usagi. But thank you."

Usagi shared the smile. Then she suddenly gave a loud yell, pointing at her in mock indignation. "Meanie! You're hiding something from me too. Aren't you, Rei?"

Rei smirked. "Wouldn't you like to know."

She dropped the charade. "I trust you, Rei. And I'll trust Ami. But you have to trust me too."

* * *

Makoto paced anxiously along the pathway in front of a bridal store, having arrived at the meeting point early. She was desperately regretting her agreement to Usagi's birthday outing now. What on earth made her say 'yes' to everything that came out of Usagi's mouth when she had called her yesterday? She blamed her state of mind then: so blank and confused. She wasn't particularly good at trying to understand things, yet she tried so hard to make sense of them being vigilantes against monsters that her mind exploded and Usagi caught her then.

Well, she was saner now. Rather than pacing the concrete off the sidewalk and annoying the few passers-by around, she should just call Usagi and make up a random excuse. If she had to, she would promise a homemade cake to give her the next day at school, and then run off immediately. Yes, she would do that.

"Makoto-_san_." She was too late. Rei came up to her; next to her, Ami trudged along, wearing a plain black cap, her head kept down.

Makoto had to force herself not to stare. "Um, hey. Rei, right?"

"Hino Rei."

She nodded. "Mizuno," she greeted, faking a cheerful tune.

"Hello, Kino-_san_," Ami replied softly, still not looking at her.

Makoto raised an eyebrow at Rei, who shrugged apologetically. "I dragged her out against her will."

"All for Usagi, huh?" she noted, ironically including herself. "Funny how it turned out that way for one little girl."

"Indeed," Rei said agreeably. "Usagi is different from the rest of us. Special."

"Well, I wouldn't put it exactly that way."

Rei chuckled. And the conversation stalled at that point. Makoto was fine with that. While the other two busied themselves with staring at nothing—Ami blankly at the ground, Rei up at the rooftops with a serious look—she found herself inching back, her eyes flicking to the back of Rei's head. As she had thought, there was no sign of a head wound. Well, maybe there was a slight bump; an unevenness to her straight hair.

She pretended to admire Rei's hair when the girl caught her staring. Then came an awkward conversation about the type of shampoo and conditioner they used, which sickened her to her core. Next, she was leaning forward as inconspicuously as she could, trying to get a good glimpse of Ami's face from under the shade of her cap's brim. They could barely be seen at a simple glance, but they were there nevertheless: fading scars so light one had to be searching for them to be able to see.

Her stomach churned. The world was so fucking sick.

* * *

"_I don't like this, Master. I don't like this at all."_

Nephrite cast a sidelong glance at his shadow. "Relax. It'll work out."

It bounced up and down, eating the sunlight that rested on it. _"No, Master. No. If you wanted the test Guardians' powers, you should have sent _Youma_ to attack, not to drive the humans away. It won't do for us to risk ourselves to test them. It won't do at all."_

"The _Youma_ fall much too easily at the hands of the Guardians," he said. "We need someone strong enough to force all Guardians to reveal themselves to us and be at their best."

"_But what if there are more of them than we thought? What if we can't retreat before they kill us? Master… Master, master, master. So many contingencies."_

"That's right, there are many contingencies in our plan," he reminded. "That is why we need to know more about the Guardians. It's better that we face the problems now with the intention to retreat, than to give our all later and still die for it."

"_Oh, Master. I still don't like it. No, I don't."_ It leaned over the wall, hissing at the three figures below them. They seemed oblivious enough, though there was one, the black-haired one, who seemed to be searching the rooftops.

He spied the three strays which had answered his call at their coordinated positions, mingling innocently among the humans. "Are we ready?"

At the thought of the coming battle, his shadow lost all sense of precaution and cackled wildly. It stretched up into the air, glorious in its dark shape, prepared to lay down chaos and pain. This he knew because it mirrored his excitement exactly.

* * *

Naru listened absently as Usagi chatted happily to the other three with them, introducing the new people she had invited to join their outing. Naru had already met Ami, Rei and Makoto, so she wasn't too keen to hear about them again. Ah, how petty of her. She had nothing against them. Rei, in fact, was absolutely pleasant when she had first met her; Makoto was just as friendly, although a bit rough; and Ami, she must be something with the way Usagi often ran off to meet her.

She felt guilty that she was discrediting them in her mind just because they had become friends with Usagi. Sure, Usagi was her oldest friend, her best friend. She was protective of her, but that was to be expected with Usagi's knack of falling over herself. And she never had any problems with the others they had made friends with. Nevertheless, she knew Ami, Rei and Makoto were different from the others. It was like they had a stronger, unbreakable connection with Usagi, and she didn't like being pushed aside for practically strangers. At least, not until she was sure her replacement was good for Usagi, and so far, none held much potential.

"Naru?" She blinked at the hand being waved in front of her face. Usagi was looking at her with concern. "Naru, you okay?"

She faked a carefree laugh. "Of course. Why wouldn't I be?"

_Well, there was yesterday_, Usagi's eyes seemed to tell her. "Well, you were totally spaced out earlier. I mean, Umino just confessed to you and you pretty much ignored him."

She flushed. And she wasn't the only one; Umino sputtered his objections with Yumiko and Kuri giggling behind him. "Aw, Usagi. Don't joke like that. Look at the poor boy."

"Please." Usagi rolled her eyes. "Why do you think he's the only guy in a girls' outing?"

Before anyone could object further to Usagi's teasing, someone came up to their group, startling them with her foreign speech. Naru studied the foreign girl as she tried to talk to Usagi. She looked to be around the same age, with long dark blond hair and blue eyes, very pretty. There was a rather professional-looking camera hanging around her neck, in contrast to her young, fashionable attire.

"Umino!" Usagi shoved the boy in front of her. "She's speaking English. Time to impress Naru."

Not long after, Umino came back to them with an embarrassed slump of his shoulders. "She's too fast," he lamented.

Click.

She frowned when she caught the girl taking a picture of Usagi, who was baring a triumphant look on her face. For the life of her, she could not understand why Usagi had it in for him. The girl took another picture, this time of the whole group, before approaching Usagi again.

The poor girl just looked terrified. "Naru," she pleaded, only to be rejected, and rejected again by both Yumiko and Kuri. With a snap of her fingers, a thought must have come to her and she gestured for the foreign girl to stop. She tapped furiously on her phone, waiting impatiently for the person on the other line to pick up. "Damn it, Ami. Don't you ever pick—Ami! Hey. I have a present for you. Enjoy practicing your English."

Usagi handed the phone over to the foreign girl, and they all breathed a sigh of relief when it looked like a two-way conversation had finally emerged. When the girl was done, she returned the phone gratefully, then left with a suspiciously accentless 'Thank you', for a foreigner.

"Oh my god," Usagi said, leaning on Naru, "that was totally random." She placed the phone to her ear. "Hey, Ami, what was that about?"

Usagi nodded as Ami replied, and after a short while, hung up. "The others are already waiting," she said to Naru and the others. "We should hurry."

Naru noted with ashamed bitterness at how Usagi's gait turned lighter.

They had barely turned the corner when terrified screams sounded from seemingly everywhere, and people began to rush toward them with desperate looks on their faces. Uncharacteristically for Usagi, the girl immediately jumped in front of Naru, pressing her against the wall to guard against the stampeding crowd. She was stunned speechless, her mind running through in lightning speed how this was the least likely action Usagi would have taken not too long ago, instead of worrying why people were in such panic.

"Usagi," Umino yelled above the cries of the crowd, himself being chivalrous for Yumiko and Kuri, "can you see what's going on?"

Yumiko shouted behind him. "I think the better idea is to run with the crowd rather than being nosy!"

She snapped out of her reverie. "Yumiko's right. Let's go, Usagi."

But Usagi wasn't listening. Rather, she had a fierce expression on her face and she looked ready to bolt in the wrong direction.

"Usagi!" She pulled at her friend's sleeves to get her attention.

Usagi's eyes widened. "I see Makoto!"

Sure enough, there was Makoto manipulating her way through the crowd, her tall, broad figure paving the way for Rei to follow easily behind her. Naru noted a certain amount of grimness in Rei that was so different from the other panicked people.

"What happened?" Usagi asked when the two had reached them.

"Fucking madmen running around with machetes!" Makoto answered. She looked behind her, and grew anxious. "Where's Mizuno?"

Rei shared a look with Usagi, who then ran off, saying, "I'll go find her!"

"Usagi! Are you crazy?" Naru tried to run after her, but was held back by a strong grip on her arm. Rei began shoving them ahead of her, yelling that it was too dangerous for them to stay. Naru whirled upon her, furious that they would just leave Usagi alone. "What the hell is wrong with you? Why didn't you stop her?"

"She can take care of herself," Rei said, too calmly. "Come on, it's not safe."

An explosion sounded to prove her point, loud rumbling accompanied it as if a building had just been torn down. The screams grew louder and even more terrified.

"Let's go!"

"No, we can't leave Usagi!"

"I'll get her."

"Makoto, no!" Rei forgot the rest of them and attempted to chase the tall girl, her demeanour so different from when Usagi had done the same just seconds ago. "Damn it!"

"Girls, come on!" Umino took the lead this time, guiding the girls, including Rei, away from the source of the commotion. Naru was forced between Kuri and Rei, unable to fight her way out. She couldn't help the tears that began to flow; the danger to herself had not settled, but the unknown prospect of Usagi's safety distressed her.

* * *

Somehow she had managed to pass the monster—no matter how she had phrased it to the others, she knew without a doubt that the 'madman' was inhuman, given that that side of the world was now revealed to her—unnoticed, and was now in a very abandoned area. Makoto crept along the cars parked to the side of the street, keeping an eye out for the other two monsters. From what she could tell, they were not interested in hurting people, though if any did get in the way of their swinging blades for hands, the monsters were unperturbed.

She noted unnervingly that the monsters' appearance had some kind of strategic goal of keeping this area empty. Indeed, they covered most entrances and drove away people who happened their way. They forced shopkeepers who were too scared to run to pull down metal rolling shutters, isolating themselves from the outside world. It was becoming apparent their interest was not to harm, but to create an undisturbed area.

A battleground for warriors, devoid of the distractions of civilians.

There was another explosion; part of the wall of the empty bridal store collapsed and the Sailor something she recognised to be Ami rolled away, following up with a magnificent leap up to the rooftops to engage a black mass of nothing. Another one came to view above, coordinating Ami's distractive efforts with attacks that the black shadow seemed to be wary off.

Makoto rose higher than she should to peer above the bonnet of the car she was hiding next to. The other one looked nothing like Usagi, her blond hair, dextrous moves and determined expression a far cry from how she'd been associating the tiny girl. Yet with the fact that Usagi in normal clothing was nowhere to be seen, she became absolutely certain that the blonde one must be Usagi. The two worked too well for her to be some random associate of Ami's.

She blinked. Suddenly, she was seeing Usagi in the blonde one as if the disassociation between the two had just been a trick of the mind. Facial features, hairstyle and physique that she earlier saw as...someone...faded away to form a recognisable face. Usagi's.

"Hey! Hey, you!"

She turned to see a man crouched beside a car not far from her. He had the passenger door open and was beckoning fiercely. "Get in. Quickly. I'll drive us out of here."

He had the best of intentions, she knew; a Good Samaritan that was trying to bring another victim with him in his escape. But she didn't want to run away. She wanted to see. She wanted to make sure her friends—that was it, she just didn't want to be afraid of them any longer; it was ridiculous, they were still normal girls—would come out of this situation alive.

"Hey, girl. Don't be stupid. Come on!"

She vaguely felt herself gesturing for him to forget her, her eyes intent on the battle above her. Half the time, Usagi and Ami disappeared from view, hidden by the top of the parapet. And she held her breath all of those times. The shadow was always in view; a massive black thing shaped somewhat like a man, shooting destructive black appendages that tore into buildings. One of those appendages smashed into the part of the parapet Usagi was standing on, causing her to lose her footing, plummeting down to the street and landing flat on her back.

Makoto gasped, and would've run out if Usagi didn't immediately attempt to get up. She ducked back down, clamping her hand over her mouth, her heart thundering into her ears. _That wasn't human!_

She heard a curse and the slamming of a car door. In her peripheral vision, she saw the man scrambling over to the driver's seat, igniting the engine. She swore at her own indecisiveness. It was as if the gods were playing a game of table tennis with her emotions. One side told her to get the fuck out of there, this was too much for her, another upturn and she would surely break. The other side said to get over it, it made so much sense to be a part of this; this was her.

She peered around again, just the car pulled out of the parking space, its tires screeching. But Usagi was not as invincible as she had thought. The girl had only managed to climb to her knees, swaying in disorientation. There was blood flowing from her head.

"Usagi," Makoto breathed, a squeak. She didn't look like she had the strength to stay conscious much longer, much less avoid the oncoming car.

_Move, damn you!_

Her legs sprinted forward before she knew it. Her arms reached out to scoop up the other girl. She was rolling and tumbling away, hugging Usagi protectively, shielding as much as she could against the burn of the tar. She knew Usagi came away better, for her arms, shoulders and back were screaming from being battered and scraped across the ground.

Usagi lifted her head, pushing against the hand that protected it. "Makoto?"

She could only stare in stunned silence. What had she done?

"Watch out!" Usagi rolled her over, but her reaction had slowed from the impact on her head. Makoto watched with unparalleled dread as the black appendage shot into her chest.

But instead of piercing skin, it engulfed her whole. She disappeared. Another person was gone to Makoto in a blink of her eye.

"No!"

"Don't touch it!" Ami took her arm and pulled her away. Then, in contrast to her own warning, Ami thrust her left hand into the shadow. With a strangled cry, she yanked, and Usagi came out with her hand, unconscious but alive. But Ami's hand was now full of lacerations so bloody, it was as if it had been viciously mauled by a rabid dog.

Cold air swirled around them, and fog burst out of nowhere, obscuring all vision. Ami took her hand, pulling her along as they ran so fast even she struggled to keep up. They turned a corner—by then she had lost all sense of direction—and Ami let go of her, gently sliding Usagi down from her shoulder. There was a blue visor over her eyes now, and she was inspecting Usagi with expert care and speed.

Makoto's knees buckled, and she slumped to the ground, trembling so badly even her vision blurred. Or perhaps that was her crying. "Ami, what's going on?"

Ami looked taken aback, but she didn't comment on the fact that Makoto knew her name.

"_I'll find you, Sailor Guardians!"_ A voice cackled demonically around them, and the fog lifted. _"I'll find you and I'll eat you up. Tasty tasty!"_

Ami scowled, tore the bow from her back and hastily wrapped it around her mangled hand. She stood. "Take care of Usagi. And try to wake her up."

"Are you fucking with me?" Makoto grabbed her uninjured hand. "You can't go out there!"

"If I don't go out, it will find us," Ami said, shaking off her hand. "You can't fight it; Usagi is still unconscious."

"But—"

"I am going to buy us time. You need to wake Usagi up. She is the one with the power to destroy it."

Without another word, fog surrounded them again. And when the demonic laughter cleared it, Ami was gone.

_Damn it._

"Usagi?" She was tempted to lightly slap Usagi's cheek for added incentive for the girl to wake, but she didn't trust her shaking hand. It might cause more damage than she intended. She decided to shake her shoulders, but even that led to unintended rougher treatment. So, keeping her hands to herself, she knelt beside Usagi, pleading in a tone she had used not too long ago, during that unforgettable nightmare. "Usagi, wake up. Please, wake up."

She didn't know how much time had passed. She couldn't tell one minute from one hour in her state. She didn't even know when it was that a black cat had come up to them, nuzzling familiarly against Usagi's hand.

"Shoo, cat," she said absently. "It's not safe."

The cat gave her one long, intense look. She shuddered at the combination of a strange crescent moon mark and such focussed, human eyes. It crept toward her, a low purr in its throat.

"Luna, no." Makoto turned to see that Usagi had woken up, though her eyes were barely opened. A single tear flowed down. She coughed, groaned as she clutched her head. "Oh, my head. My freaking head."

"Usagi," Makoto said cautiously, slowly shuffling closer. "Are you all right?"

"I want to throw up."

"Are you hurt anywhere else? Can you feel your limbs? Can you move them?"

"Yeah."

_Fuck, you _are_ inhuman._

"Where's Ami?"

She glanced over behind, trying to pinpoint where the commotion was loudest. "Out there somewhere."

"All by herself?" Usagi cried, struggling to get to her feet. It took more than one try; it wasn't a good sign.

"Usagi, are you sure you can fight? Maybe I should get Rei."

_Wait. Did the cat just talk?_

"Just give me a second," Usagi said, closing her eyes and taking slow, deep breaths. When she opened them again, it was undeniable that she did look better. "Okay, I think I can do it. Any advice?"

"I saw a little of—"

"What the hell?" Makoto screamed, jumping away from the two. "Why is there a talking cat?"

Usagi looked sympathetic. "Makoto, I'm sorry. But explanations will have to wait—"

"And you!" She was a wreck now. "What's with this Sailor Guardian thing? How did you survive that fall? What the hell is that shadow? Oh, god, oh, god…" She broke down, hiding her face behind her hands. Her world had dissolved to chaos and the unknown, playing mercilessly with her once again.

"Makoto." Gently, Usagi peeled her hands away, cupping her face, forcing her to look into the smaller girl's eyes. Such strong, passionate eyes. "It will be all right," she whispered softly. "Everything will be all right."

And Makoto believed her. Just like that.

"Luna," Usagi said, letting her go, "what were you saying?"

"Don't underestimate the enemy, Usagi," the cat replied solemnly. "The shadow is incredibly powerful. But I believe your attack is strong enough to defeat it. Watch out for the appendages. It only smashes into non-human objects to distract you; it cannot physically pierce you, though it does have a physical presence. But its real power lies in swallowing you into its shadow. I don't know what happens then, though."

Her lips turned at a memory. "You don't want to be caught in its shadow."

The cat nodded. "Try to guess where the debris will fly from where the shadow has impaled. Take into account angles and—"

Usagi made a face. "Ugh. Maths."

"Follow Ami's lead. And be careful, Sailor Moon."

She smiled, and left, a lingering hand on Makoto's shoulder for strength.

Makoto fell to her knees, holding back a sob. The cat came up to her; it seemed to want to say something. It changed its mind, and gently bit on her hand, tugging her forward. When she stood, it bit on her jeans, and pulled. She numbly followed, slowly realising that the cat was leading her toward the barricade of police cars, away from the fray. She pulled away before any of the officers or bystanders saw them. In the distance elsewhere, she could still hear screaming and gunshots as other police faced the monsters.

"Can they win?" she asked the cat.

It didn't answer, tugging on her jeans again. She growled, picked it up and held it eye-to-eye. "Can they win?" she asked again.

Luna looked away. "What will you do if I answer unfavourably?"

"I…" Would she run off like a stupid knight being the most useless fool on the battlefield? Would she crawl into a secluded, dark space and grief until everyone died? She didn't know what she wanted to do.

Luna struggled out of her hold and climbed onto the lid of a dumpster. Something materialised in front of it.

"What's this?" She stared warily at the innocent-looking stick.

"This," Luna said, "is how you decide your destiny. The choice is all yours."

She picked it up. "Will it help them?"

"There are no guarantees."

She continued to stare at the pen, her legs moving as if drawn. She was dimly aware that Luna was following behind her, but her thoughts were on the pen. It was resonating so harmoniously within her, matching her heartbeat perfectly. She still didn't know what it was, but it was as if something lost so long ago had finally been returned.

"Makoto."

Why? Why did it feel so right?

"Makoto."

Why was she feeling whole; more complete, more certain than she had ever been?

"Makoto, stop!"

She jerked out of her reverie, and found herself at the edge of the open battlefield, in the middle of the street. In front of her, Ami was crouched on the ground, the shadow launching an arm toward her. In the last instant, Usagi swooped down from nowhere, pulling Ami out of the line of attack. At the same time, ice enveloped the black arm, trapping it to the ground it had pierced. Usagi shot a glowing attack.

The shadow howled angrily, barely avoiding the attack by sacrificing its arm. They gave it no time to recover, as ice began to encase its lower body, and Usagi prepared a final attack

"They're winning," she breathed, a smile forming. She turned to the cat. "Luna, they're winning."

The cat screamed. "Makoto, move!"

The last thing she saw was the shadowed arm coming straight for her.

* * *

_**A/N:** Chapter One and Two have been edited as at around 24/8/2013. Very minor changes, mostly for consistency with how I'm going with the rest of this story. It's unnecessary for you to read them again and the changes shouldn't detract from the main plot. It's only if you happen to notice some inconsistencies between present and future chapters, and the first two, that you can be assured that they are most likely fixed._

_So, thank you for reading and reviewing; hope you'll enjoy. Thanks again to those who reviewed!_


	11. Vulnerable Lightning, Part II

_**Chapter Eleven: Vulnerable Lightning, Part II**_

Her parents had died when she was young. In a rare thing called a plane crash, so rare, yet so devastating. She didn't care that so many had died as well; so many were mourning, grieving and returning their lives. _Her_ parents were dead, that was all that mattered to her. If she wanted to break down and let her future be shattered, so it would be. If she wanted to stay in the corner weeping, even years after the crash, no one could convince her otherwise.

How many years was it before she found some mediocre of strength to leave her dark place? She couldn't even remember. In contrast to what happened afterward, it didn't matter anyway. Because he was there.

He was three years older than her, the neighbour's son whom she had only shared passing greetings with in the past. He was known as a problematic kid, not quite delinquent, but certainly not a saint of a child. Of course, that was what his high-achieving parents said of him. Where they wanted him to attend school and get into a good university, he wanted to stay in his shed and work with his hands—carpentry, whittling, anything to do with good raw wood. Often, the neighbourhood stayed up late to their heated argument.

One day, as she was leaving the house to do the groceries—as she had to now that she was living alone—she saw it on her doorstep. A wood carving; a beautiful rendering of a simple tree. She knew it was his. Sometimes, when she was doing the dishes, she would look out of the window in front of her, and there he was, the shed door wide open, a hammer or whittling knife in his hand; most of the time, the knife.

How ironic that a tree was cut down only to be made into another tree.

She had placed it on a windowsill outside; she didn't want to hurt herself stepping over it when she came back.

A week later, another tree joined the first on the windowsill, taller and of a different species. She noted wryly how the two different species did not realistically grow in the same land.

In the weeks after, the trees stopped, but animals of various kinds had begun to fill her windowsill. A rabbit; a falcon; an owl; a praying mantis; and finally, a bear. So random and unusual in comparative sizing were the animal carvings, that she didn't know what to think.

In the eighth week, the last carving was that of the sakura tree at the top of a hill near her home, a famously resilient and elegant heirloom of her hometown. It was so perfectly carved, even though it was not the right season for bloom, that she spent more than the usual amount of time marvelling at it.

Two weeks went by without another wood figure. She realised she was actually starting to miss coming home to the pleasant surprises.

In the eleventh week, the carvings disappeared. In the porch swing to her left was a small box-like stage housing her wooden gifts. There were little notches on the base, perfectly laid out that the carvings settled nicely on what was to be the forest ground. The back and side wooden panels had been carved in with little swipes and holes that made no sense. It was only when she knelt down, and took the view in its entirety from the front, that she saw the forestry background. An amateur's work, no less, without a sense of realism in the matching of the animal and tree figures; but she was left with a sense of wonderment, of an image of an enchanted forest where everything was in harmony with each other. There was peace. And finally, there was acceptance.

She was left in tears. It was a whole different kind to when she had first heard of her parents' death, an emotion she had not felt in years.

The next day, there was a cake at the doorstep to his shed.

They began to talk; little things at first, like the weather, school, sports. Nothing was said of the gifts they gave each other. It was a silent understanding they had that could only be comfortably voiced when they grew closer.

One day, while they were having lunch dinner together on her porch, she asked him, "What got you into whittling?"

He had merely smiled, shrugging. "I like to think I'm good at it. Do you?"

"You have a long way to go," she had replied, teasing. "But I think your work is beautiful."

"What about you?" The look he gave her was pure interest, despite the darker content behind his innocent query. "Why do you like to cook and bake?"

"Because I _am_ good at it," she had said simply, without tears. The thought of her parents who had always praised her for her cooking did not sadden her this time. Somehow, he had helped her grow stronger, just by being there for her.

It became more than just a friendship between them. Not just friends, not lovers, but so much more. They were together because they wanted to be, because they enjoyed talking with each other; because it was just…comfortable. He filled the void in her heart, and she lifted his. It was as if their troubles were things of the past; a part of them, but never to disrupt their futures again. It was an unspoken promise they had made to each other.

He had a younger sister, a little thing called Tomoko who was in her class. They had known each other since young, and had the unusual coincidences of being in the same classes for many years now. They usually found themselves side by side when walking to and from school. Though conversations struck were always light and brief, they had a fair bit of closeness that she wouldn't usually attribute with any of her other relationships. Not since she had entered her dark corner.

Tomoko was a quiet girl, very shy. She stayed to herself often, always reading. She wasn't very bright and often visited teachers for extra study help. Those who had once tried to get to know her soon left because she always took too long to reply, or never understood their jokes. Even those who prevailed a little longer were eventually frustrated by her lack of communication and social skills, even her inability to play games properly.

That was years ago. Nothing had changed upon entering middle school.

Then one day, while walking home together, Tomoko had said to her, "I'm glad you're happier now."

It had taken her by surprise. Tomoko had never shown any interest or sympathy during the years since the death of her parents. In fact, Tomoko was the least affected by the news, able to approach her with the usual ease unlike everyone else who walked on tiptoes around her. Tomoko was different, she knew. Just like she was different, though not in the same way. She could relate to Tomoko.

Nothing had really changed between them since that day. Conversations carried on longer, but the topics were always casual. Perhaps the only change was that he would sometimes bring Tomoko along on one of their outings, and she would enjoy the company just as much, if not more. She was just as fond of the tiny girl as she was of her older brother.

It was during the winter break, a year since being with him, that he told her an unpleasant news about his sister. He had come to suspect that Tomoko was seeing somebody. While she had initially disregarded it to brotherly overprotection, she tagged along when he wanted to follow Tomoko one day. Tomoko was indeed seeing someone, but their surprise lay more in the fact that the man she was seeing was a senior high-schooler and a prominent delinquent.

He had been furious. She was just as angry and watched as he marched up to the man, who, though not very tall, was certainly bulky. And so, she stood behind him, holding onto a confused, yet slightly upset, Tomoko as he demanded to know the man's motives. The man spoke innocently enough, but they knew better with the subtle leers in his eyes.

He forbade Tomoko to see him again. And when she didn't understand, he had softened his tone and explained gently, patiently. It took a long time for Tomoko to understand why the man who had seemed to be so understanding and kind was not to be seen again. Eventually, Tomoko had agreed.

Weeks passed by uneventfully since, and she was enjoying the normalcy in her life again. As fate would have it though, it didn't last long, and one Friday late evening, she saw Tomoko with that man again near some questionable bar. She confronted them, but instead playing innocent again, the man had asserted his right to see Tomoko, all while smirking.

So she punched him. And left him bleeding from the nose with Tomoko in tow.

The next night, Tomoko had come home in a daze, refusing to talk to her family. The next weekend, tears were shed and the only thing Tomoko would say was that she thought she had done something wrong.

She knew what had happened. He, as well. But unlike her, he did not lose himself. Where he had wanted to get Tomoko to confess and bring the matter to the authorities, she had wanted to find the man and crush him. So when Tomoko had left the house the next day, she followed her. And unbeknownst to her, he was following her.

There was no end to the red in her vision when she saw the building. She had charged right in, and when she saw that there were _two_ of them, it was as if the plane had crashed all over again. Her world churned and spat out an image so despicable that it could only be said that the world was out to get her. In a twisted play, she was also the victim.

She had lost control. She slammed her fists into their faces relentlessly and they could do nothing about it. For she had always been incredibly strong, and she would make them rue the day they did not heed her words.

It had taken him great difficulty to pull her off them. By then, they were a heap of mangled skin and bones, alive, but severely traumatised. And she turned her anger on Tomoko.

Why? Oh why did she do that? Every day since, she had asked herself that question over and over but could never find the answer. Why did she yell such immensely stupid, insulting words? To a girl even more fragile than herself? It was barbaric.

"Makoto!" Even he thought so.

Tomoko had not taken it well. For all her weaker state of mind, the girl had at least understood the men had done something bad to her and she was frightened and confused; to have someone she looked up to scream at her with such emotion, it drove her to the edge. Literally. Tomoko had sought escape to the balcony,

"Tomoko, I'm sorry. Please, come back in." She had immediately regained her senses, wracked with guilt.

Too late.

Tomoko pressed her back up against the railing, her face to torn with fright and betrayal.

"Tomoko, I'm sorry," she had repeated as gently as she could, raising her hand in careful beckoning. Beside her, he beckoned as well. "Please."

Tomoko's lips quivered, her eyes watered. She had looked ready to jump at the slightest provocation. And when one of the men had gained consciousness and moaned, the world stopped for the silent fall of another fleeting life. Another soul it would dangle in front of her for its amusement.

So red. So twisted. So dark.

It was an accident; the police had deemed it so. And hers was nothing more than a slap on the hands in comparison to the two men—a psychiatric evaluation for her anger which she passed, but no charge and record for her brutal beating of the offenders. But she blamed herself. And he blamed her.

_Please, don't leave me too._

"I told you to wait, Makoto," he had said.

"I told you to calm down, Makoto," he had said.

"I told you nothing good ever came from losing yourself, Makoto," he had said.

"You made it worse, Makoto," he had said in tears. "So much worse."

_Please, I'm so sorry. I'm sorry!_

"I'm sorry, Makoto."

_No, please don't. I can't do this again. I can't…_

"I don't think I can forgive you for this."

Again. It had happened again. Her dark corner, unused for so long, now beckoned for her again. Inviting, a familiar friend. A nightmare.

Tomoko was there with her, face split, arms and legs at impossible angles. _"This is your doing, Makoto. All yours."_

_No, I…_

"_You didn't protect me."_

_I wanted to, Tomoko. I wanted to so much._

"_Just like you didn't protect your parents."_

_I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry…_

He appeared next, eyes bloodshot, so shrivelled up like he hadn't eaten and slept in days. _"Why didn't you listen to me, Makoto? My sister… My baby sister… You destroyed her."_

_I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry…_

"_You destroyed her."_

Her dark corner, a place where she hid her true heart and wallowed in her pitiful sorrows. A place where there was only her. Her, and hell.

The world had truly forsaken her.

* * *

"_Stop, or that girl dies!"_

She stumbled, and the hand she had raised to attack went stiff. She glared, clenched her jaw. It took all she had not to throw her tiara and cut the damn shadow in half. The fact that Ami didn't tell her to attack anyway drove her heart cold. There was no hope if the shadow was speaking the truth.

"Mercury," she called under her breath, still poised to attack.

Ami shook her head ever so slightly. Her eyes flicked between to the end bodies of the shadow, one of which held Makoto in its terrible grasp.

"You'd succumb to such petty tricks just to win, huh?" Usagi taunted carefully.

The shadow contorted; if it had a face, there would surely be a seething grimace to accompany the murderous howl.

"You know," she continued, "I thought it was pretty honourable of you to let the civilians go and face us one-on-one. But it looks like I was wrong."

It roared, raging. _"Don't tempt me, little girl! I will throw away everything if I have to."_

"Mercury!" she hissed. They had to do something quick.

"What do you want?" Ami asked the shadow.

It laughed, and sobbed, and laughed again. It seemed to have gone mad. _"Oh, I wanted to do this right. I wanted to make my brothers proud to call me _Shitennou_. I took an unrelated hostage. I have failed."_

"Are you willing to take a gamble?" Ami whispered to her.

"On what?"

"Remember how its arm dissipated when you cut it off?" Ami nodded discreetly toward the shadow imprisoning Makoto. "We will gamble that it will do the same again."

"Is there no other option?" She glanced over to the shadow that seemed to be in a tormented argument with itself. "If it doesn't disappear, if I missed, Makoto…"

"Then don't miss, and we will have one less risk for the same reward."

"Easy for you to say."

Ami stepped in front of her, directly angled to block the shadow from her view. But this meant that the shadow couldn't see as she powered up her attack again.

"_Sailor Guardians!"_ it bellowed; it sounded almost sad, shamed. Ami gestured for her to wait. _"Fortunately for you, I am now no better than a rat; the lowest of the Dark Kingdom."_

Those words… They seemed so positive in their favour. She was stunned, for only the briefest of moments, but it was long enough to delay her reactions to Ami's immediate cries to attack. The shadowed arm flared and distorted, swirling like a ribbon around the mass that was Makoto. She screamed, threw her hand back. And she saw it. Another shadowed arm taking advantage of their distraction, launching toward them like a tidal wave about to swallow them whole.

It was a terrible decision to make. In a split second, she had to decide between Makoto, and Ami and herself. So cruel. Who was she to decide who got to live? Who was she to be the one to try to save everyone? Sure, she had power; but so did Ami and Rei. What made her different?

She didn't want to make these decisions. She couldn't. She couldn't possibly be fair in her choices; she wasn't Ami, who could weigh out benefits versus costs for the perfect decision; she wasn't Rei, whose clairvoyant abilities let her know more. She was just Usagi, a clumsy crybaby who was always making mistakes. But… What would Usagi do; when it wasn't a decision on who lived, but a decision on what she wanted to do?

Follow her heart, and trust. She threw her tiara toward the ribboning shadow. She couldn't forsake Makoto.

Green light so blindingly bright emanated from between rifts in the shadow, growing and growing until the shadow was washed away. In its place was a green Sailor Guardian, tall and imposing with beautiful red-brown hair tied up at the back, and matching rose earrings that contrasted beautifully with her sturdy figure. A single antenna rose from the green gem at her tiara, sparks dancing around the top.

However unfamiliar the new Guardian was, there was no doubt. It could only be Makoto. And Makoto she became, her face scrunched up despairingly, the tears flowing endlessly.

"You bastard," she whispered—wept.

Thunder roared despite the clear sky, and a flash of lightning traversed down to the antenna on her tiara. Her gloved fists glowed with white bolts of lightning. One hand after the other, she hurled lightning after lightning after lightning at the shadow. The first exploded at the ground at its base. The second it managed to avoid. The third hit it squarely in the torso. And a man flew out its back at the impact.

He was one of the _Shitennou_, Usagi knew, with the common grey militaristic uniform and human features: a young face, long red hair, hands that did not end in claws.

"_Master!"_ The shadow swayed and dove for the man.

Makoto hurled another bolt, this time with a scream so pained and furious it tore at her heart. The shadow enveloped the man, closing in onto itself until it vanished, leaving a scorched crater in its wake.

"Makoto." She moved forward, caught movement in the corner of her eye, and twisted in time to catch Ami and slow her collapse to the ground. She noticed with concern that Ami was looking faint and retching horribly. In front of them, a wall of ice stood tall and thick, multiple holes ran through the wall, an acknowledgement of having been impaled by the shadow.

Nothing could take away how happy she felt at that moment.

Between gasps and resting her head in her hands, Ami managed to wheeze out, "Don't ever take that gamble again. I have never made ice of this calibre before."

She chuckled, squeezing her arms around Ami's shoulders once before releasing her. "It wasn't a gamble. It was trust."

"The Tsukino trust versus Mizuno logic; I know which one I prefer." Luna trotted over, nodding over to Makoto, who had dropped to her knees and was looking dazed. "We have to get out of here. The gunshots have stopped; either the police have managed to subdue the _Youma_, or they retreated with the shadow. Police will be clambering in here soon."

She nodded, helped Ami up, then went over to Makoto, who jerked into a fighting stance when she laid a hand on her shoulder. "Makoto, it's me. Usagi."

Makoto wiped her eyes; she didn't say anything as she followed them to a secluded place, easily keeping pace as they bounded across rooftops and through alleys to avoid the news helicopter that had turned up.

They finally stopped in a shaded alley that was far enough from the destruction. All the while, Makoto still stayed mute, barely looking at them. And Ami seemed too preoccupied with her hands to be the first to speak.

"How bad is it?" Usagi asked, concerned at the amount of blood seeping out, and as Ami painfully peeled off the makeshift bandage, she was reminded of Ami's previous shoulder wound, only much smaller and ran all along her forearm.

"It won't be easy to hide this from my mother again," Ami said softly, now working on, but struggling with, the torn glove. Usagi quickly went to help her. "I really have a terrible habit of getting my arm torn off."

"You mean torn up."

"Sure." Ami didn't continue after that, her face scrunched up in a grimace as she began re-bandaging her arm with Usagi's offered cloth, content to a momentary silence that Usagi gave her. She turned to Makoto.

"Are you okay?" she asked tentatively. So far, there had been three different reactions when one found out they were magical creatures: denial, intrigue, and indifference. She couldn't definitively place Makoto in any of the three. "Are you hurt anywhere?"

Makoto shook her head.

"Do you… You must have a lot of questions."

The laugh was so small and sad. "Magical girls fighting evil monsters, right? What else is there to know?"

"Background, how our magic work, why us, who are the enemy, why there is a talking cat," Ami suggested. "The latter question gets the best responses always."

"Ami," Luna warned.

"Alternatively, you can choose not to ask and forget everything."

Luna made a strange, strained sound.

"What?" Usagi demanded.

"Hey, don't get huffy with me," Luna protested. "You couldn't keep your end of the bargain."

"You let Rei go."

Luna scoffed.

"What?"

"Guys!" Makoto groaned, slapping a hand to her forehead. "God, I can't believe I just tried to stop an argument between a girl and her cat."

"Don't worry," Ami said, de-transforming, wincing as the sleeve of her cardigan clung to her bloodied arm. "It happens more often than you think." She held her phone to her ear, her responses curt and with frequent pauses listening to the other line. "Rei. Yes. Relatively. Kino-_san_ included." There was a longer pause, and she glanced over to Usagi. "Rei says Osaka-_san_ is in hysterics. You should call her."

Usagi de-transformed, but didn't immediately take out her phone.

"I think we have to talk about this," she said to Makoto. "At least, take the confusion away. We won't hold you to anything, though. If you're not ready—"

"No," Makoto said. "Let's just get this over with."

"Here isn't the best place," Luna said. "Rei's shrine?"

"Where's that?"

"Over on Sendai Hill. It's quite a distance, unfortunately."

"My place isn't far; let's go there." Makoto frowned, wringing her hands. "Besides, I need to work off this tension."

* * *

It turned out that working off tensions in Makoto's case involved baking something that had to do with a lot of chocolate, coffee syrup and eggs. And alcohol. Usagi was surprised when Makoto had popped open a beer bottle from the fridge immediately upon entering the kitchen. Luna voiced her disapproval but was shushed by Rei who promptly asked for tea, more surprised about the quality of the beverage than the underage drinking spectacle.

Ami was unfazed, sitting next to her at the kitchen bench. She held a pair of scissors in her right hand and was audibly contemplating whether she should try removing her cardigan first or after, when her hand would be in a proper bandage. She finally decided the latter option would be the least painful and began cutting. When Rei came back with four steaming cups of aromatic black tea, she took control of the scissors and first aid treatment.

Usagi watched in awe as Makoto switched between tea, beer and mixing batter without a break in stride.

"Usagi, how's your head?" Rei asked, peering around Ami.

She lifted the ice pack from the back of her head, and turned her back to Rei. "Can you see anything? Did I crack it open?"

Luna climbed onto her shoulders to get a closer look. "It's healed well. I'm more worried about potential spinal cord injuries. I saw that fall."

"From where?" Ami muttered.

"Let's not get into that right now," Luna admonished. "This meeting is to help Makoto come to terms with being the Guardian of Jupiter."

Makoto flinched when her name was spoken.

"Well, my back feels fine except for the bruises," Usagi declared, a little too chirpily. "But I think I busted my ribs again."

"Ami?"

"Usagi is fine," Ami said. "She heals faster than me and is quite sturdier."

Makoto let out a snort, then looked away, sheepish. "Sorry. It's just that 'Usagi' and 'sturdy' in the same sentence is a little difficult to take in. Look at her."

Rei joined in the abrupt laughter.

"Rei!"

"Sorry, Usagi," Rei said. "But Makoto's right. You _are_ tiny."

"Well." She huffed. "Don't forget this tiny girl packs a mean punch. Ami and Luna can vouch for me on that."

"Girls, we're deviating a little too much from our purpose here," Luna reminded.

"Fine," Rei said, taking the lead after a moment of silence. "Long story short, the four of us were apparently born with some innate magical powers we can only access when we're transformed into what is called a Sailor Guardian. Don't ask who decides who become Jupiter, Moon, Mercury and Mars. There is a so-called duty that we have to protect people and fight evil, and guard some Princess, who may or may not be in this country, be on this earth, be born yet, be an old lady, be a recognised princess, be human, or an alien."

"What?" Makoto sputtered.

Rei lifted Luna by the scruff of her neck toward the taller girl. "You don't seriously think this talking cat came from this planet, do you?"

Luna swiped at her hand in annoyance.

"Okay," Makoto said slowly as she spooned the almond batter into several flat baking trays. "I think I can accept most of what you said. It's gonna take a while, but yeah, I think I can do it. Just one question: Where does the magic come from?"

Rei spoke before she even finished the sentence. "You will retract that question and say you can accept it too," she warned. "You do not want to get Ami started on that."

Ami bristled.

"Okay." Makoto stepped away the oven, wiping her hands clean. She took another swig of the bottle. "Then what about the monsters?"

Luna took the lead here. "They call themselves _Youma_, of the Dark Kingdom. They're not human, and are incredibly powerful, with a good resistance to human weapons. But they _can_ fall with enough bullets put through them, as Rei can attest from her view of the police response today."

Rei nodded. "Spiritual talismans like the _ofuda_ work too. God knows how they're going to put it down in the statement I had to give them after butting in."

"I think rationality can be ignored here given that their 'madmen' disintegrated into dust only after having emptied a few magazines," Ami said to her.

"What do they want?"

"So far, mostly human life energy," Luna said. "We recently found out they're looking for the Silver Crystal too. And from today, it looks like they want to get rid of the Guardians now."

"Is that what happened with those strange attacks before? It was the Dark Kingdom stealing life energy?"

"Yes."

"And what is the Silver Crystal?"

"A powerful artefact the Princess supposedly has," Rei answered. "Luna's being annoying with her lack of knowledge about that."

"Well, pardon me for waking up with only half my memories intact," Luna retorted.

"Hey," Usagi shouted, pulling Luna away from Rei and placing her on her side of the bench. "You guys fight about this all the time. But today's not the time for it. Makoto has to make an important decision."

"Wait a minute!" Makoto exhaled tensely, downed the rest of her alcohol. Usagi watched curiously when Makoto began melt sugar and whip eggs even in her state of tensed confusion. "You can't just dump all this information on me and then expect me to decide something with them."

"No one's saying you have to make your choice now," Luna said. "You can take your time to consider every aspect of which I will lay out."

"No bias, Luna." Usagi glared.

"Usagi, please stop fighting me," Luna pleaded exasperatedly. "You could have been paralysed today. Both of you could have been seriously hurt. Worse, dead! I will not stand by anymore when you've failed to keep your vow all three times at serious costs to your safety. The last Guardian has now awakened. I reserve the right to try to convince her to join us. But I will not force Makoto if she doesn't want to; just I have not forced any one of you. I have been more than fair in this respect."

Usagi bit her lower lip, looking away. She couldn't fault Luna, she knew. There was no point being a pain about it now. She should be sad of her failures, yet something was holding back those tears, making her notice for the first time, three new people she had made friends with; not three people she had failed to protect from awakening as a Guardian.

Truth be told, she had nothing against being a Guardian. In fact, she had never felt so good and complete in her life. Even Rei had admitted to her once that since awakening as the Guardian of Mars, her head felt clearer. It was the fighting that she didn't like. But if she didn't want to listen to a cat telling her that she had to fight monsters, she had every right and willpower to reject the cat. The same went for the other three.

The desire to stop the awakening had stemmed from her earlier inhibitions that had long been thrown away. So it followed that the desire should be discarded as well. How immature of her; she had stuck to that notion for so long that she couldn't get out of it until she gave it honest consideration. It wasn't her place to deny her friends their birth right. That her immaturity had coerced Luna into allowing the choice to fight or not was the only thing she could be proud of in the end.

Makoto was a Guardian. Rei and Ami were Guardians. She was a Guardian.

She had to accept that. And if they wanted to fight beside her, she would accept that too. It was their choice that she had no right to withhold. She just had to get better to protect everyone.

Rei reached over, placing a hand on her shoulder consolingly.

"Thank you," Luna said genuinely. To Makoto, "As you can tell, the choice is whether you wish to join Usagi in fighting against the enemy, and when we find the Princess, protecting her. If you choose to join us, you have to be aware of the dangers that come with it, as you should already know having witness today's battle against an enemy, one of the more powerful ones I believe. You may have to sacrifice part, if not all in time, of your everyday activities to the fight and the trainings we hold at night.

"I know this doesn't sound at all appealing, and it's not meant to be. What I want you to consider is: Can you stay away knowing that you have the power to protect your family, your friends, strangers, from evil?"

Makoto's eye twitched, her expression blank. She turned away and took out her tray of cakes.

"Well," Rei murmured, "that wasn't guilt-inducing at all."

Usagi had to hand it to Luna; the cat had done the exact same thing to her when she first became Sailor Moon and was fighting adamantly to reject her situation. She had been surprised that Rei was spared, but after Rei's comment, maybe it wasn't so. She glanced at Ami. The girl hadn't needed any convincing at all; then again, her acceptance was due in major part to her mad scientist side.

Ami was watching Makoto intently, head tilted to the side in thought. Usagi reminded herself to ask her about it.

Makoto rubbed her neck uncomfortably. "And I can choose not to join you guys?"

"You can. Just as Rei has."

"Then what's she doing here?"

"Exac—Ow!" Ami glared at Rei, who fussed innocently at the bandages she was winding around Ami's arm.

Usagi blinked. Funny how she had never thought about it that way. Rei certainly did ask a lot about Guardian business for someone who wanted to stay away from it. In fact, she was acting like the leader of this meeting.

Makoto continued to work silently, her face scrunched up in thought even as her hands worked almost automatically. Usagi had to watch herself from drooling—the aroma was just so wonderful and she was always hungry after a battle, especially when she hadn't eaten since she'd left home. Luna waited patiently, occasionally giving Rei a knowing look. Rei refused to look at Luna.

When Rei had finished with Ami, she stood up. "May I turn on the television? The news is on."

"News?" Makoto asked, gesturing the go-ahead.

Ami turned around and picked up the remote, bringing up her supercomputer. Makoto's apartment unit was a small one—single bedroom, single bathroom, small living room with adjoining kitchen, a relatively large area compared to the other rooms. While Ami flipped to the right channel and everyone else seemed to find interest in watching her do so, Usagi took the opportunity to scan around. The living room was sparsely furnished and the kitchen seemed only to have few dishes but was generous on kitchen appliances. Potted plants, small and large, decorated the place nicely, but they were the only decorations around. No photo frames, no gaming sets, no male items…

Was Makoto living alone?

"Usagi, pay attention." Rei beckoned to her from her place at couch, where everyone had now gathered. She hurriedly skipped over, wincing at the slight dizziness it caused. There was currently a video footage of a humanoid-looking _Youma_ being held back by a stream of bullets from the barricade of police officers in front of a watching reporter. Anchor commentary sounded over the video, reading short statements from witnesses and police authorities they had obtained earlier.

"Good thing they didn't catch the _Youma_ at my side of the block," Rei murmured as the unseen anchor noted how the 'monster' was near-resistant to bullets.

"Seeing a _miko_ disarm a 'monster' could do well for business at the shrine," Luna suggested.

Rei shook her head. "Things are still a little sensitive from the abduction case. I'd rather not incite more gossip."

"Hey Luna," Usagi called, leaning her elbows onto the back of the couch, "what do you think will happen now that people know about the Dark Kingdom?"

"They don't know anything about the Dark Kingdom," Luna corrected. "But I suspect they will soon dismiss this incident as a one-off unusual case. Humans do have a strange tendency to turn supernatural events into natural occurrences. They're 'monsters' now because humans can't explain the resistance to bullets and disintegration into dust. Give it a couple of weeks, if the Dark Kingdom doesn't do something as blatant as this again, the humans will be attributing the monster-like behaviour to drug-induced psychosis and special bombs."

"Even with the video evidence?"

"Denial of the supernatural. They'll find a way. Unless, of course, they get their hands on a _Youma_ or one of us."

"Kinda makes you wonder if the governments and military are different," Makoto added, "if they're the ones propagandising this change in view."

"They are not," Ami said simply.

"And how do you know?"

"Don't ask," Usagi told her seriously. "According to Luna, you don't want to be an accessory after the fact. Whatever that means."

Makoto frowned, but her discomfort was with another issue. "We're allowed to abuse Guardian powers?"

"You are allowed to use your powers anyway you want," Luna replied. "However, I would like to think that Guardian magics were passed to the right, good people."

"Very diplomatic," Rei noted wryly. Then she shushed them when the footage changed to a high vantage view of two girls and two shadow masses with an appendage connecting them.

"Roughly twenty minutes after the first report of monster attacks, we are here viewing what appear to be a shadow monster, and two girls facing it," the reporter said to the camera. "We're too high up to see details right now, but the two girls appear to be wearing similar attires, almost like a sailor uniform. Oh my god, look." The camera panned to a close-up of Sailor Mercury shooting up a wall of ice shield against an attack by the shadow. "Hey, did you get that? Another girl." The view switched to Sailor Jupiter hurling devastating lightning after lightning at the shadow.

"Is that you, Makoto?" Rei asked, narrowing her eyes at the screen.

"Uh-huh." Makoto chuckled. "It's different seeing myself from this angle."

"By the way," Usagi said shakily, "how did you break out of the shadow?" It had not been a good experience for her when she was caught before. Like a nightmare that refused to let her wake until her mind was utterly destroyed.

Makoto shuddered, rubbed her arms. "I don't know. Just…"

Ami peered up at her, curious, her slow playing with the supercomputer momentarily put aside.

"I felt something," she finally said softly. "Something warm. It made me feel better. And that's when the nightmare broke."

Usagi didn't have time to register that statement before Rei exclaimed loudly.

"Hey, is that him?" Rei pointed, tapping Ami's hand holding the remote. "Rewind. It's that guy. The tuxedo guy."

"This isn't cable," Makoto said. But Ami enlarged a holographic screen and gave over her supercomputer. "Okay…"

Rei played with the tablet until she found the image she wanted. "There,"—she pointed to the lower right-hand corner of the enlarged screen—"that _is_ him! You can see a tiny profile of his hat, face and shoulders." She crossed her arms. "I don't think I like how he's always around when there's trouble. Especially since he's not an ally."

"He's not an enemy either," Usagi quickly said.

"Why not?"

"He's saved me heaps of times! He probably wanted to save us again today."

"How do you know he doesn't have an ulterior motive?"

"How do you know he does?"

"Better to err on the side of caution, I say."

"Rei, quick, I need that back," Ami cut in, retrieving her supercomputer. Again, she played with the tablet, tapping and swiping incomprehensible diagrams and symbols as she had done earlier, while Rei grumped that she was tearing the cuts on her fingers. Usagi peered back to the television, and saw that the video was now of Sailor Moon, Mercury and Jupiter bounding atop rooftops, quickly outrunning the helicopter.

She frowned; her arms were empty in the video. "Where's Luna?"

"I removed her image," Ami explained. "It doesn't seem from the commentary that Luna has the same magical shielding we do when transformed that makes everything about us…different…to outsiders."

"What of the part of the footage that had already aired before you fixed the video?"

"I have already delayed the broadcast to all other digital media before the news started. Luna's identity is still hidden. Only the people involved with this newscast have seen Luna, but they won't have a digital copy of her image now."

No one dared ask more, Usagi's earlier warning still vivid in their minds.

"There's a high chance that these three may be allies of the widely known Sailor V, now recognised by public officials, who has recently disappeared from public news," the anchor was now saying, the footage having ended.

"So where's the fifth one?" Makoto's voice sounded from the kitchen.

"We don't know who Sailor V is." Ami switched off the television, appearing satisfied. Usagi assumed she wanted to watch the news to look out for potential breaches in the concealment of their identities. Then she nodded, and gave herself a pat on the back for the clever guess.

"Actually, there is no fifth Guardian," Luna admitted.

Makoto leaned over the bench to look at them, a frown on her face. Rei looked surprised, and Usagi remembered they did not cover this topic with her. Then again, she didn't have to know if she didn't want to do Guardian work. Usagi was beginning to suspect that Rei wasn't wholly detached from Guardian business as she had claimed. Dared she tease her about it?

"According to what I can surmise from my fragmented memories," Luna continued, "there are only four Guardians. Four Guardians, and a Princess. Four Guardians are already gathered here. There shouldn't be another."

"You said your memories are fragmented," Rei began, "are you sure about there being only four?"

"Absolutely." Luna nodded vehemently. "Four Guardians. Mercury, Mars, Jupiter and…" She trailed off.

"Moon." Usagi pointed to herself.

"R-right. Moon."

"Hm." Ami went into her typical contemplative pose. Then she stood up. "I should be going. My mother is expecting me home soon."

Rei started at the sudden change in pace, but got up too. "Yeah, guess I'll go too. I just know Grandpa won't settle down until he's actually seen me."

"I suppose we'll all be leaving then." Luna jumped off her place at the coffee table. "Thank you, Makoto, for having us here. You can let us know your decision when you're ready."

"Um, sure." There was rushed cupboard door slamming before Makoto's head came into view again. "Give me a minute, though."

"Kino-_san_," Ami called, walking over. "Do you have a long-sleeved top I can borrow?"

"Yeah, wait here." She went into her bedroom, coming out with a dark green shirt a short while after. "Sorry, it's a little big."

"It is fine. Thank you."

Ami left for the bathroom, declining when Rei offered to help. Usagi frowned, worried. It would not be painless to strip the shredded cardigan from her injured arm. But when Ami returned, she almost couldn't stop a giggle from escaping as the girl looked positively dwarfed in Makoto's shirt. Ami struggled with the buttons with her bandaged fingers, and Rei took over. Sometime during the awkward—yet adorable; Usagi found it amusing that Rei seemed quite protective of Ami, treating her like a younger sister—ordeal, the right shoulder of Ami's black tank top had slid down along with the green shirt.

"Mizuno." Makoto frowned, leaning closer. "Is that—"

Ami held the bundled cardigan up, shrugging on the green shirt. "May I throw this in your bin?"

"Um, yeah, I'll do it." As Makoto took the bundle, Usagi noticed Rei peeking over Ami's shoulder, just as curious as she was about Makoto's earlier comment. Ami slapped at the hand that attempted to move the shirt's collar, to Rei's chagrin. Luna cleared her throat loudly to stop their antics, and Usagi quickly scooped her up, with all intention to spook the cat.

"You're a nag, Luna." She grinned at Luna's admonishment, shrill from the startled lift.

Makoto came back with three small plastic containers, handing one to each of the girls. "Just a bit of the cake I was baking earlier," she said. To Usagi, she handed over what was clearly the largest portion. "Happy Birthday, Usagi. Sorry today turned out shitty."

"Not at all!" If she could sparkle, Usagi felt as if she would blind everyone else as she stared in amazement at the gorgeous piece of dessert. Deliciousness was not even an apt description in her mind, and she would happily gobble it up at that moment if it were not getting late. Everyone winced when she began to gush her gratitude loudly.

"You haven't even tasted it yet," Makoto said, amused.

"It looks fantastic, it smells to-die-for, and if you bake as well as you cook, it will taste out of this world!" Usagi hugged the container to her chest. "I don't think I can make it home with this intact."

"Okay, Usagi, I get it. Thanks." Despite brushing off the praises, Makoto's mood appeared to lift significantly, almost matching Usagi's beam.

At the door, Usagi held back as Ami and Rei started down the corridor. She watched Makoto, whose eyes had drifted downcast, the corners of her mouth turned down, her shoulders slumped. She let out a breath, slow and tired. Wretchedly shaky.

Usagi reached up to touch Makoto's cheek, a hint of the graze she had gotten when she'd saved her from the car still there. Makoto blinked, as if just realising she was still there.

"Whenever you need someone," Usagi said, soft, tender, "I'm here. I'll always be here. Okay?"

Slowly, Makoto smiled, took her hand, nodded. It wasn't much. It was better. It was forced.

When Makoto had shut the door behind her, and Usagi had lingered, unsure, she heard the sobs.

* * *

_**A/N:** Some more minor edits to the previous chapters (as at around 21/9/2013). Again, nothing big. Thanks._

_Also, thanks to those who've reviewed. Hope everyone enjoys this._


	12. Battered Minds

_**Chapter Twelve: Battered Minds**_

He was quiet when he was angry; a statue when he was furious, unconcerned with the world moving around him. For hours, he sat in his chair, one leg crossed over the other, an arm across his body, the other cupping his chin in fuming thoughts. In his mind, he replayed over and over the battle with the Guardians earlier that day.

He had the element of surprise; yet the black-haired girl had reacted, pushing the short-haired one he knew with certainty to be Sailor Mercury out of the way, before he had even launched off the roof.

He had the offensive power; yet Sailor Mercury fended him off with more ease than she should with her lack of attacks.

He was _Shitennou_; yet only two Guardians showed up to face him in battle. Only _two_ were required to defeat him. And with only two, they came dangerously close to.

How? How was it possible? He was worth dozens of _Youma_; his experiences immense from studies and the past. He was a general, commanding an army of the Dark Kingdom. His direct involvement into battle, if not used as a final resort, should have annihilated the weaker enemy.

Yet he was defeated; nearly destroyed. He got carried away, and then he was humiliated, forced to succumb to pathetic ploys just to escape with his life. He had taken a hostage in battle. Never mind that she had turned out to be a Guardian as well, he had taken the girl hostage thinking her a civilian. He had yielded so quickly to the despair of his humiliation, deepening his wretched shame rather than taking the opportunity to escape.

It was not him. The initial plan was to fight long enough to gain information about the Guardians, and he did. Sailor Mercury had low offensive powers, her defences only marginally better, but she had a tactical mind befitting a general. She had learned quickly his shadow's tricks, and could predict most of his direct attacks, avoiding the flying debris easily. She knew what his shadow could do; it was definitely a problem how she was able to figure that out so quickly. Sailor Moon, on the other hand, was not as observant, but she had good instincts and fast reactions. She learned fast, taking cues from Sailor Mercury, syncing into an impressive battle partnership.

Most important of all, her offensive power was devastating; more devastating than he could ever imagine. It took away any opportunities to retreat, drove him to desperation, his shame.

He had to prepare himself better in the next attack, both tactically and mentally. He made brief notes to himself: Sailor Mercury would have to be defeated first or she might unravel his strategy before it could even be carried out; the green Guardian was next—though strong, almost as strong as Sailor Moon, she was new and emotionally unstable; he had to watch out for the red Guardian—he had not seen her but her flames destroyed Jadeite and he would make her death the most painful for that; Sailor V—he needed more information on her; and finally, Sailor Moon—Sailor Moon had to be separated from the others, he knew.

She was strong with her partners, but he had seen into her mind when his shadow imprisoned her. Lost, not confident in herself; she was susceptible alone. He could take advantage of that.

"My, my, my." A voice, cool and dead, broke through his musing. Zoisite slid into view, plopping majestically on a chair opposite him reminiscent of a Queen Beryl laze. "I gather it didn't go well?"

He scowled. "Don't pretend you don't know what happened."

Zoisite shifted in his seat, resting his neck on one arm and throwing his legs over the other. "I saw what you did," he said, without looking at him. "You forgot what I had told you."

"I did not forget," he seethed. "And I have never needed you to remind me."

Zoisite cocked his head. "Maybe I'm mistaking you with Kunzite."

"What are you talking about?" He narrowed his eyes. "When has Kunzite ever acted dishonourably?"

"Never, as far as I've been around to see him work." Zoisite shrugged. "Then again, he's never faced powerful opponents such as the Guardians before. I'm willing to bet he'll take any tactic that will crush them."

"Kunzite is the leader of the _Shitennou_," he exclaimed.

"He is the leader of the current _Shitennou_," Zoisite repeated, not quite agreeably, "and he is the first to be awoken to the Dark Kingdom. When Queen Beryl was still fully Beryl."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Zoisite merely sighed tiredly.

They stayed in silence that way—with him ignoring Zoisite, who was in his own thoughts as well—until Kunzite burst into the room, demanding attention.

"Ooh, big boy's here," Zoisite drawled sarcastically.

Kunzite ignored him. "You lost, Nephrite."

"I live to fight another day," he said simply.

"And what will you do now?"

"Prepare for a fight another day."

"Don't get smart with me, Nephrite," Kunzite said, glowering. "You attacked in broad daylight, you created a mess on Earth, you alerted the humans to 'monsters', _and_ you failed to defeat the Guardians."

"My purpose was never to defeat the Guardians," he said sharply. "If they happened to be weak enough to die anyway, so be it. But they weren't, and at least I know now. I'll prepare better with the knowledge gained."

"Share what you've learned," Kunzite demanded.

"I know the identities of two of the Guardians, and the civilian face of another, and we can find the red Guardian by way of Jadeite's _Youma_ who were there. I know their strength and—"

Kunzite held up a hand, cutting him off. "You know their identities?"

He hesitated. Zoisite was glaring at him. "Yes."

"Excellent." Kunzite clapped his hands, a grin on his face. "So you'll be sending your best _Youma_ to assassinate them in their homes."

It wasn't a question. Kunzite expected exactly that: to rid the Guardians when they were defenceless in their sleep, helpless against the harm that might come to their families.

Zoisite uttered a low growl. It was despicable; it was dishonourable. It was not the _Shitennou_ way.

He owed the Guardians nothing; he gave no regard for their considerations of him. But he had acted shamefully in front of them today. He had to redeem himself. And he would do so on a respectable battleground, face to face. But he needn't be alone, and that would make the difference.

And so he did not answer his _Shitennou_ leader.

"Act soon, brother." Kunzite understood, taking a softer tone. "Queen Beryl's mood has gotten worse since she entered the Dark Chamber. I doubt she will be as tolerant with our failures as she had with Jadeite. When she finds out of your failure today…"

"I know." He nodded his gratitude.

Zoisite sat up straight, frowning at Kunzite. "She went into the Dark Chamber? When?"

"Yesterday. What of it?"

"She was still in another of her bad moods when she went in?"

"Yes. And it's worse now."

Zoisite cursed. He looked ready to shatter the arm of the chair he was sitting on, his knuckles turning white at the grip. But just as Queen Beryl was prone to mood swings, Zoisite was just as prone to losing interest in something he was passionate about just before, and vice versa. His anger forgotten, Zoisite shrugged and returned to his usual expression of disinterest. Nephrite watched him. If he thought about it, they all had such tendencies. Jadeite, usually a careful general, had his tempers. Kunzite, to a much lesser extent, occasionally switched between brotherly caution and authoritative demand on a whim.

He, himself, easily fell into despair when he found himself acting dishonourably. Though he had claimed that he did not need Zoisite to remind him of the _Shitennou_ honour, it was without doubt that he often came close to falling to the temptation of the shadow. And the shadow did not adhere to the _Shitennou_ honour.

He leaned back in his chair. The conversation was over and he had a battle to prepare. Zoisite went back to lazing in his seat; Kunzite had summoned an insubordinate for a report. The room was quiet, calm.

So when the doors burst open again and a familiar face showed himself, the maniacal laughter was deafening.

* * *

'_You are worthless.'_

"You think so?"

Usagi nodded, glancing up at Luna who was trotting along the wall beside her. "I really do think she's not as strong as she looks. Please, Luna. I know it's difficult for you to watch over so many of us. But Makoto… She looks so… The shadow did something."

'_Useless.'_

"You got caught too, Usagi," Luna said worriedly.

"Don't worry, Luna." She afforded a small smile. "I'm okay. I promise."

'_You have failed. You will always fail.'_

"What?"

"I said," Luna repeated herself a little louder, "You don't look well."

She laughed it off. "I hit my head, remember? I'm still feeling a little out of it. But a good nap will take care of that."

Luna wasn't convinced. "I should've insisted that Ami checked you again before she left."

"No," she said firmly. "Ami needs her rest too. Just relax for now, okay, Luna? We won another battle!" She threw her hands up for effect. "Against another _Shitennou_, not just a _Youma_, in fact! Be happy about that. At least, be happy that we found another ally, which was what you've always wanted. All four Guardians finally together."

"Not exactly together."

"You take what you can get, Luna." She held a hand to her chest, lowering her voice. "They are Ami, Rei and Makoto first. And it is Ami, Rei and Makoto who decide how they want to handle the Guardian mantle. Not you, not the Princess. Not me."

Luna stayed silent, then she leaped onto her shoulder, nuzzling. "You really have matured, Usagi."

She closed her eyes, taking in the warmth and comfort that Luna gave generously, resting her cheek on the cat's head. Unthinkingly, her feet continued to move, and she yelped when she ran into something large and hard, tumbling back.

She braced for another fall, but it never came. Opening one eye, she found deep, dark eyes that captured her breath, enthralling her. _Tuxedo Mask._ With both eyes open, she saw the rest of the features, and mixed feelings boiled up within her. It was a face she had never associated with eyes like that before. Well, once, she did. But she had told herself it was a mistake.

Mamoru grinned. "This is the first time I'd actually encountered someone who walked with her eyes closed."

She bristled, squirming out of his arms that held her gently. "One time thing. You don't have to hold it against me."

"I'm not." He looked away. "I promise you, didn't I? That I wouldn't tease you anymore if you didn't like it."

"Actually, you only promised not to call me _odango-atama_."

If people could glow from joy, his smile would beat them all. "You remember."

She started at his reaction, raising a curious eyebrow. With a huff, she stalked off, Luna trailing behind. "It wasn't _that_ long ago."

He easily kept the pace beside her, taking on a rather handsome profile if she were to be honest with herself. And there wasn't any reason for her not to be now. With his overly familiar smirks gone—though replaced by a somewhat overly familiar desire for companionship—she could possibly treat herself to his mesmerising presence. Yet, despite Naru's claims about her lack of inhibitions with regards to getting to know people, bad impressions did put her off. Mamoru was going to have to impress her with more than just good looks if he wanted her to open up.

"How are you, Usagi?" he suddenly asked, confusing her again with the force of emotion in his voice.

"Fine," she said slowly. Her hand shot up to feel his forehead and pulled back when nothing felt out the ordinary. She eyed him warily, noting the way his eyes grew warmer from the contact.

"You're not hurt anywhere? Your vision's fine?"

"Why?" She stepped away from him. "You're sounding kind of creepy. You sure you're not a stalker?"

Instead of sounding insulted, he was relieved. "I thought I saw you in the city earlier. You know, around where the monsters attacked."

She found herself softening at his sincerity. Mamoru wasn't a horrible guy; it wasn't fair of her to keep distancing herself from him when she could tell he was trying hard to repent for his earlier rudeness. She wasn't sure why, in fact, she was being quite vindictive about that. Sure, she was in a bad mood those times, but holding someone to a past sin wasn't in her nature. If she considered it carefully, it wasn't so much that she was being vindictive, but that she didn't like the attraction she was feeling toward him. He hadn't done anything so far to warrant her interest, and so she was wary. It didn't feel right, even if it did.

"I got out fine, thank you," she said with genuine gentleness. Then she kicked herself. Why had she phrased it that way? If she had just pretended he was mistaken, that she had never been there, all would've been fine. Now, if he had seen her not when she was with Naru and the others, but when she was running _into_ the 'monster' fray, questions she didn't know how to answer were bound to pop up.

Yet, he said nothing more. Only smiled. His gentle smile, his lonely eyes. Her breath caught again.

"I'm yearning for some milkshake," he declared as casually as if it wasn't an abrupt change in topic. "What do you say? Want to join me? My treat."

She was tempted. Oh, she was so tempted. "But it's going to rain soon. I want to get home before it does." Damn the rainy season. "Besides, I already have cake."

"We can sit the rain out in the café," he said. "And you can keep ordering more desserts. Save your cake for another time."

She narrowed her eyes. "Are you sure? I don't hold back when someone offers me food, you know."

He laughed heartily. "I don't often splurge on myself. So I can afford it today."

"Last chance to take your offer back."

He shook his head, took her hand, and ran with her. He wasn't fast that she couldn't keep up with his much longer strides; he wasn't slow with a mistaken assumption that she couldn't run. His pace was just perfect, in sync to hers, matching her heartbeat. They had done this before, somewhere. Moving together, calling to each other. One.

Her mind went back to Tuxedo Mask. She had been so happy when she found out he had been there. No matter the caution the rest had thrown at her, she had felt he was there for her. Only for her, as he'd been all those times prior. It didn't matter that he hadn't joined the battle—he could have been late; he could have been bidding his time if he did not have the proper abilities to battle with—she knew he was there to ensure her safety.

How she wished she could have met him then. She didn't get the chance to thank him for saving her that night.

It began to drizzle.

"Hey," she cried, squinting up at the dark sky. "How much further?"

"Not that far," he said.

"We're going to get caught."

He looked back. "Can you run faster?"

She feigned indignation. "I'll have you know I can sprint two kilometres in under nine minutes."

He grinned. "Come on, then!"

He sped up, but never let go of her hand. Again, they moved perfectly together, as if he knew her speed well, and she matching his pace. Not too fast, not too slow. Just right.

They ran into the café only slightly drenched, and he immediately threw a dry handkerchief onto her head. She sighed. Men. How was she to dry her hair when it was bundled up as it was? And she told him so.

He was stumped. "Ah… Pat it dry?"

This time, she said it out loud, shaking her head in jest. "Poor, poor man."

They got a window booth, a place to observe the gentleness of the rain. The rain reminded her of Makoto, somehow. The gentle shower. Silent drops of tears. The ripples in the puddles from the rain. Shattered.

'_Too late.'_

She growled. "Shut up."

Mamoru looked taken aback. His expression dropped, his shoulders slumping as he leaned back. He tried to smile, failed.

"Oh my god, no! Not you." She raised her arms and swung them across each other in a dramatic effort to make her point. "I wasn't talking to you."

He wasn't much comforted, glancing under their table at Luna, who was lying quietly around her legs, having sneaked into the café with them. She gingerly touched his hand, trying to give him a reassuring smile. Instead of being comforted by the fact she didn't mean to hurt him, he still looked saddened. As if he worried instead that she was talking to no one. At least, no one physically around them.

"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked again.

Why was he being so nice to her? Even his presence was just…warmth; he drove away the voice. There was a sense of security around him. She wanted to be with him. She wanted his touch and his voice to tell her everything was all right. But she didn't know him. Hardly knew anything about him.

"No. No, I'm not." She was so confused. She pressed her forehead into the palms of her hands, squeezing her eyes shut. The voice… It was coming back. He was not strong enough to rid it. She wasn't strong enough to bear it quietly any longer. "I'm sorry. I have to go."

He grabbed her hand when she stood. So warm, so gentle. So desperate.

She waited expectantly. She wanted him to say something. She wanted him to her hold close and whisper consoling words into her ear.

_But it's not me you want to save, is it?_

He let her go.

* * *

He watched her leave. Out the sliding doors, into the rain. He watched until she disappeared. Then he broke, falling into the same position she had earlier taken.

_I want to, Usagi. I really wish I could._

He clenched his jaw, holding back the overwhelming loneliness. There was nothing he could do; he was helpless—useless. Taken. He couldn't help that the woman in his dreams called to him every night, a ghost to his every waking hour. She needed his help, would grant him the answers he sought, if only he could find the Silver Crystal. Why? Why did this mysterious woman desire the Silver Crystal so desperately? Who was she? How was he to find it?

The questions kept piling up, and all he wanted to do was throw them away for Usagi. All for her. Oh, how he relished the smile on her bright face, the gentleness of her heart, the warmth of her touch. She was so real, so natural. She could light up the spark in anyone's cold heart. It was Usagi who completed the longing Sailor Moon drew from him. It was Usagi who kept the loneliness away. It was Usagi whom he was falling in love with.

But he couldn't tell her that. He couldn't ask her to stay. He did not deserve it; not while his heart still belonged to the woman of his dreams. Not when he was afraid of what she would think if he told her about the woman.

_Be strong, Usagi. Please be strong for the both of us._

* * *

Makoto was tired. Her eyes stung and strands of hair clung to her face. Her right arm was numb from having laid on it too long, her body stiff from the cold, hard floor. Her vision was still blurry from the remnants of her tears, the room dark and silent. It was silent outside of her.

She should get up. She should stop moping and do something. Bake again; cook a good meal, as she hadn't eaten since the early morning; tend to her plants; anything besides lying numbly on her side.

'_You destroyed her.'_

Anything to escape the voice.

'_Wake up. Please… Tomoko… Wake up.'_

It mocked her; mocked her with her own voice, with her friends' voices; delighting always in the reminder of her past sins. She knew it was evil; an outside entity hoping to break her in her moment of weakness while it would slowly fade away. Ignore it, her mind told her. She was stronger than the tiny blot of the dying shadow, so much stronger.

So said the small strength in her; the measly strength that tried to remind her of her Guardian heritage. This was nothing. She had the power of a thundering god, after all. She had the power to protect now.

She laughed, a scornful sound. How could someone who wallowed in such pathetic self-pity be a protector? How sick this world was, to put the safety of its people into the hands of a wreck such as her.

Ah, that must be it then. The world had a death wish.

'_It hurts, Makoto.'_

_I know_, she thought back to the voice—to him. She understood very well how much a loss hurt. She had experienced two of it herself, at the same time. Two beautiful, loving souls, gone without warning. _But you had plenty of warning_, she thought sadly. _You should have known better than to connect with the broken neighbour girl._

'_Ah. But I was a curious fifteen-year-old boy. And you were so beautiful. So fragile and susceptible.'_

She scoffed. _That's pushing it too far._

'_Are you sure about that?'_

"He's not like that," she breathed aloud.

'_You don't know my brother.'_ Tomoko knelt in front of her, a vision of blood and grotesque. She gently lifted her with twisted hands and cradled her head on her lap. Tomoko shushed her as she began to cry again, with a voice hoarse and monstrous, grating fingers against her skin. A tender shush full of blame and insults. Of hurt and despair and disappointment.

It was a long time before she stopped crying again, unable to shed more tears though her heart still bled. It was dark now and she was alone. Tomoko was gone. He was gone. The voice was gone, its damage done, seared so deep within her it had declared itself victor despite dying away. It was even worse now that she had her mind all to herself. There was no evil that she could pretend to fight off. There was no second voice she could argue against.

Only memories. Memories that were her own, untempered by the dead, remnant shadow. All the wrong memories, all the right ones, revealing themselves because it was what the shadow had worked its last moments for. Come, it seemed to say, come back to the corner and watch as the images and sensations of your mind overwhelm your soul.

She blinked. She slowly climbed to her feet, shaky and lifeless. Funny how her body still had the strength to move even when her mind was so close to breaking. She staggered toward the balcony where it drew her from the darkness of the room. It was raining now; how long it had been raining, she didn't know.

It was lighter outside, not because of sunlight but from the artificial lighting around, reflecting off the raindrops like little diamonds. She leaned on the railing, further than she should. It didn't take much to press down on her forearms until her bare feet left the wet floor. She stayed that way for a long time, staring at the ground far below, her already damp hair now wet from the rain. She closed her eyes, and swayed and hummed to herself, a lonely tune she couldn't remember where from.

Then she dropped to her feet, staring up at the dark sky. She wished it would become a thunderstorm. She wanted to see them again.

* * *

By the time it had started to rain, Ami had only barely made it into the lobby of her condominium building. It wasn't so bad that she couldn't flick the droplets of water from her hair and shoulders, but the dampness was certainly uncomfortable. Her shoes squeaked against the marble floor, the sound loud in the quiet emptiness of the adequately decorated—unpretentious—lobby. Their home was a little extravagant on her mother's part—even though her mother's salary was more than impressive—but she would never complain about the pools that came with the price.

When she opened the door to her unit, it was darker than she had expected. None of the lights were switched on; the only source of light came from outside through the large balcony windows, the draperies drawn as it always was in the morning. Silently, she closed the front door and went to her mother's study. Light streamed from underneath, and she knocked on the door softly. There was no reply.

She headed over to the kitchen area. Her mother was either too busy with work she'd brought home with her, or she was taking a nap. Ami had no desire to disturb her mother from both.

She placed Makoto's cake into the refrigerator, paused before closing the door. Perhaps she should take a look at the cake. Her container was not transparent, so she had no idea how it looked aside from Usagi's—possibly exaggerated—praises earlier. Makoto would probably appreciate a text early complimenting the aesthetics of her creation, and then another later when she would share the cake with her mother over dinner.

She closed the door. It shouldn't make any difference if her message came early or a little later. She had better things to do than send two different messages that could be condensed to one a couple of hours later.

But she paused again before she could take a step away. She had seen it right, hadn't she? The way Makoto had held herself, the way her voice wavered just the slightest, the way she kept her face blank. Usagi saw it too, she knew; felt it more than saw, unlike her.

Something plagued Makoto. A past, a memory, a thought, that the shadow had used to begin the process of destruction. She remembered how careful Usagi had been when she had returned to the fight; it had been more so than necessary. She didn't know if there were lasting effects from being caught in the shadow, but certainly, both Usagi and Makoto had not been the same since.

Still, she doubted that the shadow still had them in its grasp. Her analysis of its abilities did not include long ranged control. So it must be a personal trauma returned to haunt them, weaken them.

Her fingers gripped the door handle tightly. There was no question: she had to uncover Makoto's past, to ascertain Makoto's viability as a Guardian, as someone she could depend on in a battle. Yet, why was she holding back? It was the obvious thing to do; it was the best way to ensure minimum problems. But deep in her mind, she knew Makoto wouldn't like it if she pried. No, that was putting it too mildly. Makoto would absolutely despise her for that.

But why did she care? Makoto was hardly a friend, a far cry from Usagi; even compared to Rei—no, it wasn't fair, Rei was different.

She shook her head, backed away, walking numbly to a familiar spot. Perhaps she could wait until Makoto was sure to join their Guardian escapades. She would have better reason to investigate then, wouldn't she?

_Why wait?_

True, the last _Youma_ in Tokyo had been eliminated. There was nothing further she could do about the Dark Kingdom as her supercomputer was already running endless programs she had commanded it to do from the start, and still there was nothing. She had time. And Makoto's instability was a pressing concern. She had all right as tactician of the group, as Luna had once labelled her, to ensure that everything was fine with the individuals of the team.

_I don't understand._

She didn't understand. She didn't understand what was stopping her; why she hesitated even though her mind screamed the obvious. Was she regressing? Was she improving? She couldn't tell. Her head hurt.

The corner. The corner was a place at the edge of the adjoining living room, at the base of the large kitchen bench, where the fine wood front met the wall. The flooring was a dark blue carpeting, soft to the touch and comfortable to sit on. It was the ideal warmth during winter and met the breeze of summer that came in through the gaps of the balcony window. A table lamp would shine on the corner from its position on the bench, a light source if she wanted to read.

She knelt down, touching the less worn area of carpet. When was the last time she sat here? Never; not in this home at least. Ah, well, it shouldn't be surprising that she would mix the two places up, so close were they in a rare form of sentiment for her. She'd regarded this place the corner when she and her mother had moved to Tokyo three years ago, set it up perfectly, but had never sat in it since. It was in her old home, slightly less than five years ago, just after the first operation. She had been under the influence of drugs, though her mind still worked vividly, trying to comprehend the changes that had overwhelmed her family. She had been confused. She had thought it was supposed to be a happy moment; the operation was a success. Her mother had been happy. But her father wasn't. And then her mother wasn't happy anymore.

She didn't know if she was supposed to be happy or not; she had never had a good grasp on emotions—still didn't, though her theoretical understanding was a lot stronger now. Good things had happened, and then her father had left. And her nine-year-old mind didn't understand why he wasn't happy; she couldn't comprehend his reactions.

The corner was a place where she sat and thought for hours on end, evaluating and making sense of something she couldn't understand. It was a place for her to truly obsess about the incomprehensible. A place she went to when she was at her worst.

Ami slid off the back of her legs, twisting around and pressing her back into the corner. She crossed her legs and leaned her head back, closing her eyes.

She didn't hear the study door open, didn't hear the muffled footsteps that crossed the room to flick on the lights. And she paid no mind to the choked gasp her mother made when she saw her in the corner.

* * *

Rei was patient when her grandfather continued to fuss over her that night. It was to be expected. He knew she was going into the city today. And no matter how far the shrine was from the main parts of the city, and how the television in the common room was hardly even on, he had known about the 'monster' attacks the moment it had occurred. He _was_ the priest of the shrine, after all, and she, the psychic girl who talked to the fire, his only granddaughter and family.

He had known, and he had been agitated until she came home, and he could verify for himself that she was all right and unharmed. Then he remembered about her friends, calming down again after she assured him they were all fine. Still, the rest of the day hadn't gone by much smoother. Her grandfather wasn't as strong as he used to be, and his heart had one too many excitements the whole day. So he had decided to close up early, though the rain keeping away patrons was also a factor.

She had insisted he lay down and rest. It took some effort to convince him to allow her to close up all by herself. And the effort didn't stop once she began the arduous task. Grandpa frequently got out of bed, picking up a broom when she wasn't looking, wiping down ornaments on his way out when she had chased him away. It was only when she had given him the tough love complain that she was now doing more work did he agree to stop.

Cleaning up when it rained wasn't the best time. Sure, she had a smaller area to clean as the lawn would have to wait until it dried out, but it was no small feat to run around between separate sections of the shrine through the rain. Be it because she had forgotten some cleaning tools, or she had found parts that needed repairing and the toolbox was on the other side of the shrine area, or that she had to gather items from the shed to restock the store area, or that she had to go to every door, double-checking that they were all locked.

By the time she was done, it was late and she was too tired and cold to be hungry. Yet, after washing up, sleep wouldn't come. She was still too worked up over the events of the day. It was one thing to pretend she didn't want any part of the Guardian duty and keep aside the transformation pen. It was another to realise that even in civilian form, she had the power to stop _Youma_.

It was as if the world was telling her to forget her reservations and just join the others she so wanted to protect.

Idly, with a light smile, she wondered if Ami and Luna had placed bets on when she would come to her senses. Maybe they would also have a side bet on when Usagi would realise she was never fully apart from them.

With a tired grunt, she neatly climbed out of her futon. There was no use mulling over it again tonight. It was clear what she really wanted to do. Murder worries be damned; evil demons were evil demons.

She noticed her phone blinking: a message from Kaidou, asking if she had been in the city earlier that day and if she were all right. It brought a small smile to her face, before she remembered that the one who should actually be contacting her had done so through his secretary. Tossing her phone away, she scowled; it might be immature of her, but let _him_ wait a whole night before he got his answer. If he still remembered to care by then.

She headed over to the Prayer Room and sat down in front of the Holy Fire, basking in its warmth and glow, waiting until it matched her soul. Then she sat upright, crossed her legs and pressed her palms together, closing her eyes. It was just meditation to bring peace. Tomorrow, she would take her duties as a Guardian more seriously and figure out the nightmares. Right now, the moment was for her alone. For her and the Holy Fire to be one.

Slowly, she tuned out the outside world, cleared her senses. Her mind was a void, silent, calm. And she began to dance.

It was a dance of flames; a dance between flames; with flames. In her mind, she touched the fire, embraced the fire, whirled around and around that the flames joined her in magnificent ribbons, matched her rhythm and movement. They were partners, and they were one at the same time. In harmony.

Then the Fire flared and burned, screeching in warning.

Her eyes snapped open, her breathing suddenly laboured. She turned around.

"Hello, my love."


	13. Undesired Shadows

_**Chapter Thirteen: Undesired Shadows**_

It was raining again. Drenching water, cold dampness in the outside. On the other hand, a light shower, a gentle thrum, muffled on the inside.

Ami didn't mind the rain. She liked to hear the rhythmic pitter-patter of the raindrops against solid surface; she enjoyed watching the water splatter against the window, predicting the downward flow with her fingertip on the other side. It was almost therapeutic for her; it brought her calm, helped her ever-working mind rest and collect itself.

She wished it would keep raining forever. She needed the peace, the quiet. Her head had been screaming at her, demanding control, at war with the strange presence that had appeared since Usagi's disappearance. Empathy. It was a foreign sensation for her when not understood in her head. She understood what emotions were, could read them. She did not understand how it felt.

And so her head hurt for the sudden sensation of emotions were overwhelming. A foreign feeling that had to be purged from the logics of her mind. And to do that, her mind had to regress where the balance was tilted in the favour of reasoning.

God, her head hurt. Her hand hurt. The gentle pitter-patter wasn't so gentle anymore. The incessant ringing of the school bell made her ears throb. The soft words that finally broke through her reverie were the only tolerable things now.

Ami blinked. She stared at the empty surface of her desk. She couldn't even afford her teachers the courtesy and respect by taking notes on new lectures because the bandages on her hand and fingers wound too tightly, restricting her ability to hold a pen, much less write with it. It didn't matter to her if she missed the lecture; but there were others who despised her for that.

"Mizuno-_san_?"

She glanced up at the girl who was now standing next to her desk, her schoolbag in both hands. Saionji Rui was the only classmate who could talk to her honestly, one of the few people she respected for her intelligence and skill as a fine, budding sportswoman. Still, their contacts with each other were not frequent, and today, she had no patience for conversation.

"Let's walk home together," Rui said, so abrupt, so unusual. So uncertain yet almost insistent, her eyes flicking over to the other side of the room, her head not at all inconspicuously turned to the group of three girls waiting there.

Ami understood immediately. "You shouldn't."

Rui tapped her foot nervously. "It's really bad, Mizuno-_san_. I overheard things."

She stood, picking up her unopened bag. "I can take care of it."

"But you don't." Rui gave her a frustrated look. "And you won't let me help."

"I have explained the potential consequences to you, Saionji-_san_," she reminded. "It is not worth it. And you agreed."

"It doesn't mean I have to like it."

"Why?"

Rui blinked. "What do you mean?"

"Liking something or not shouldn't derail you from the fact."

When Rui looked at her again, it was with eyes of sympathy, a gentler tone. Rui was a bright girl, and Ami knew she suspected. It wasn't too difficult to guess if one talked to her enough times and knew a thing or two about real life. When it happened, the change in attitude was obvious. Perhaps that was why she held Usagi to a different standard. The girl wouldn't realise until she actually told her herself. It was…nice, to know Usagi would never change.

And it was also torturous. Thinking about it made her head worse. There was guilt, probably—guilt that she was lying. No, she wasn't lying. But as the vampire demon had said…

No, there wasn't any reason for guilt. There had never been such emotion in her. It was foreign and she didn't like it. She was almost tempted to give up, to accept the regression.

"What happened to your hand?"

Again. She was losing focus again.

"A shattered glass," she said, a slow reply. It was fortunate that she wore the winter school uniform all year that hid the rest of the bandages around her forearm. It would be more difficult to explain that.

Rui narrowed her eyes worriedly. "You are walking home with me," she said sternly now. "Come on."

She obeyed silently. Her head hurt too much to fight any longer.

"Oh, that's great," Rui said loudly. Too loud. "Then you can explain ODEs for me again. I just can't get my head around it."

As they headed for the exit, she glanced over to the three, taking in the glare and how they stood with such determination. Rui shouted over to her friends, waving them over. "Guys, Mizuno-_san_'s agreed to help us prepare for the next test."

"Great!" They got up in unison, plastering tight grins on their faces. Unconvincing.

She didn't care. She just wanted to get home and think everything out, settle all strange thoughts and sensations. She needed her stability back. Either way didn't matter anymore.

* * *

Usagi was in the hall, long and empty, white and bright. The only colour lay in her hands, on a piece of paper, red. Red everywhere. Scathing comments in red, zero percentages in red, large, thick crosses in red; all swimming around the paper, taking turns to display themselves to her. Her hands shook, but the red words remained as focussed as ever, burning themselves into her eyes.

She had failed. A horrible student, the comments said. Unbelievably stupid. A lost cause. They could never work with her. She would forever be a worthless member of society.

The paper was torn from her hands. She gasped, jolted, and her mother was suddenly in front of her. Her eyes watered, and she threw her arms around her mother. "Mama!"

"Oh, sweetheart." But contrary to how tender her mother sounded, Ikuko pushed her away almost roughly. Despite the softness in her expression, the next words were knives in her heart. "How could you, Usagi? How could you shame us like that?"

"Mama?"

Ikuko cupped her cheeks, kissed her on the forehead. "I was a good mother, wasn't I? I raised you well, didn't I? Why would you do that to me?"

Her mouth failed to move; there was no excuse. Lips quivering, she shut her eyes, trembling under the biting words of her mother. Ikuko rocked her slowly, beginning to cry about the worthlessness of her firstborn. A crybaby. A glutton. Her child that would never amount to anything. Her child that was not hers.

The voice changed, from tender to cold and emotionless. The figure that hugged her shrunk; the hand that rubbed her back hard, awkward. Ami's voiced whispered in her ear.

"You have the power, Usagi. You are stronger than me." The body buckled, and she threw her arms around Ami as the girl's head fell back, exposing an open, bloody throat. Blood bubbled from her mouth as she strained to speak. "You didn't protect me."

"Ami!" Sobs wracked her body; her knees became weak and she slowly crumbled to the floor, cradling Ami's head. "I'm sorry."

Rei's face replaced Ami's, so pale and empty. Blood pooled at the front of her torn shirt, her breathing shallow, muffled, as if something was blocking her airway. Rei didn't have to say anything; her dying eyes said it all.

"Rei, I'm sorry." She could barely see anymore, her vision so teary, so red. She pressed her face into Rei's shoulder, hiding, not caring that the red liquid smeared her face and hands. She couldn't face Rei. She couldn't face the world. She was a failure; reluctant to fight, unable to protect.

Her throat burned from wailing for so long. Her eyes ached, growing puffy. Her skin was clammy; she was drenched in her friends' blood. A hand was stroking her head, and she pulled back. Makoto was in her arms, smiling tiredly. There was no blood on her.

"Makoto!" She could never describe how happy she felt at that moment. Her friend was fine; nothing was out of place, nothing was red. Makoto's grin was the most serene she had ever seen; the pain began to fade, hope was returning. "You're okay." She began to cry again. "You're okay."

"Of course I am," Makoto said, raising a hand to touch her cheek. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"I thought…" She couldn't finish her sentence. With both hands, she took Makoto's raised hand in hers, crying into the warm palm.

"Usagi."

She blinked, and slowly, lifted her eyes. Makoto had a pained look on her face. "What's wrong?"

"Usa—" Makoto flinched, jerked. Her hand clenched.

"Makoto!" Her eyes widened, a gasp escaped her. "What's wrong?"

Makoto suddenly screamed, her face contorted into an expression of torturous agony. Her body arched, twisted at a pain that showed no physical form. Her scream, so horrifying, no despairing. Bloodcurdling screams that ran deep into Usagi's heart like a sword piercing and slashing and burning, over and over and over.

She cried, begged for Makoto to tell her what was wrong, to tell her how to help. But all she got were screams and tears, and she could only pray, holding her friend's hand close.

"No no no no no," she whispered desperately, "please no."

The screams drowned out her voice, resonating in her head until that was all she was.

"Let go!" The words were barely formed in between screams. Makoto pulled at her hand, tried to twist away. She stamped her feet, clenched her free hand until blood was drawn from her fingernails; veins popped in her neck, her temple; and the horrible screams never stopped.

Usagi remained on her knees, still clutching her friend's hand that tried to escape her, frozen. She could still feel the tears that slid down her cheeks; could hear herself begging for Makoto to tell her how to help; could feel the warmth that was building to intense heat in Makoto's hand. Yet, she couldn't let go. She couldn't tell herself to stop wailing and do as Makoto was screaming at her to.

The heat became too much to bear, and she was finally able to look down. She cried out.

Blisters formed and burst, spraying blood between her fingers. Skin tore and grew red, then black, charred, melting; travelling down Makoto's arm, slowly, deliberately, as if someone held an invisible flame to her arm, gleefully sadistic. Makoto screamed and screamed, looking ready to tear her arm out.

Usagi's shrieks joined hers, and she flailed just as much, if not more, to remove her hands. But they wouldn't budge, tied together by an invisible, unmovable grip. When the unseen flames finally showed itself, engulfing Makoto entirely, it was as if she was being burned alive as well. The pain was unimaginable, and she knew it was nothing like what Makoto was feeling.

Charred black skin, melting. Tissue, dissolving. Bones, cracking, turning to ash.

"_Why did you do this to me_?" Makoto gave one final scream. And then there was nothing but scorch marks in front of her.

She broke. Tortured screams were replaced with agonised screams. Tears of guilt and blame replaced scared tears. The white of the hallway turned to black. Emptiness was filled with voices of the ones she had failed, had hurt. Because she couldn't decide what she wanted to do. Because of her inability to act on her own. Because she kept breaking her promises.

"I'm sorry."

All sense of time escaped her. She was a bundled wreck. A lost child. She lay on the ground, agreeing to every condemning word the voices said.

Another voice called to her, she realised eventually, a man. Tender, and unlike everything else, so full of warmth and love. She lifted her head, fighting against the fog in her mind. Suddenly, she was desperate to be rid of the spiteful voices. She wanted to see the man who called to her so lovingly. She wanted to be in his embrace, to let him tell her that everything was all right, that the voices were wrong.

_Where are you?_

She opened her eyes, squinting against the harsh fluorescent light. Half her vision was blocked out by something pale—her arm. As she slowly raised her head from her arms, she blinked, wiping at the last drops of tears that clung to her lashes. With her sleeve, she tried to inconspicuously dab the dampness from her cheeks. She was dimly aware that someone was standing next to her, unspeaking, but a moment later, that person left.

The last ten minutes of class went by without any attention diverted to her. And for that, she was grateful. At the bell, most left without a word to her—some clapped her on the back and whispered how lucky she was; she could only nod to those. Naru, who sat a few rows away, came over.

"Are you all right?" she asked worriedly.

Usagi nodded automatically, not looking her in the eyes. They began to head out, but Haruda beckoned her over.

In a quiet, careful tone—an unexpected reaction—her teacher asked, "Is there something you'd like to tell me, Tsukino-_san_?"

She bowed, keeping her head down. "I'm sorry, Haruna-_sensei_. I didn't mean to fall asleep in your class." Her voice had begun to crack by the end.

Haruda sighed. "You always don't mean to sleep in my class, Tsukino-_san_. But that's not why I want to talk to you. Is there something on your mind?"

_Plenty._ She shook her head slightly.

"There's nothing distracting you?" Haruda continued slowly. "Hurting you?"

_Only myself._ She shook her head again.

"Tsukino-_san_, look at me."

When she did, the eyes that bore into her were so different from what she liked to attribute to the tough teacher. They were genuinely reflecting concern, a simple gentleness that wanted to help. Haruda wasn't a bad person, she knew; she had always known that. She began to feel the guilt of her frequent complaints about the teacher, when the chidings never came without reason. Her throat felt constricted, and her eyes dropped again.

Haruda sighed. She placed a hand on her shoulder, a small squeeze, then nudged her toward the door. Usagi bid her farewell quietly, turned around, looking up in time to see Naru shrugged solemnly at the teacher behind her, a small frown on her face.

Naru quickly changed her expression when she noticed that Usagi had seen her silent exchange. Wordlessly, they left and Naru wrapped an arm around her shoulders, a squeeze, a rub at her back. Usagi grabbed at her arm as it fell away, clutching it as if she were a child hugging a teddy bear. She leaned her head against the side of Naru's shoulder, hiding her face sometimes.

Naru didn't press; it was the kind of understanding they had since knowing each other for so long. Naru would wait, giving her an appropriate amount of time to collect her thoughts. Then, whether she was ready or not, Naru would get her to spill everything. The waiting was only to ease the later conversation; a coherent flow was more helpful than bits here and there.

And Naru could always get her to talk. But she couldn't talk. She couldn't let Naru know. Or Naru would get hurt like the others.

She turned her head, letting out a whimper into Naru's sleeve.

Outside, they came across Makoto who was waiting by the gate, leaning against the wall with her hands behind her head, a picture of indifference; to the drizzle, to the looks passing students gave her for being without an umbrella.

"Hey," she greeted.

Usagi's reply was barely a squeak, and she told herself she wouldn't speak for the rest of the day.

Makoto frowned. "What's wrong?"

She felt Naru shrug under her, the umbrella she held over the both of them shifting at the movement. "A bad dream, I think. Give it a day."

_Way to be discreet, Naru._

Makoto studied her, then offered a small smile. She understood. And Usagi saw the bags under her eyes, bloodshot, how her posture slumped. Makoto clapped her on the shoulder knowingly, and it was all she could do not to cringe away, the fiery vision in her dreams still vivid.

Makoto brushed her damp fringe from her face. "Guess I'll talk to you about it next time."

_It?_

"You know," Makoto clarified, seeing her confusion, "about yesterday."

Naru subtly cleared her throat, looking away. Usagi saw the discomfort she was having; either from the obvious way Makoto didn't want her to know about 'it', or that she still also had words to say about Usagi running into yesterday's fray. Naru dug the toe of her shoe into the ground, appearing as if she wanted to leave them. Not for the first time, Usagi wondered why Naru was having such a difficult time connecting with the new friends she had made.

"Hey, dollmaster-_sempai_." Makoto plastered a grin at Ami, who only noticed after a girl at her side pulled at her sleeve.

Blinking, Ami shuffled over as three of her high school classmates bid their goodbyes and left. Only the first girl, one who knew Naru and Naru called Rui, stayed.

Makoto raised an eyebrow, cocking her head. She seemed perplexed by Ami's non-response. "Um, Mizuno?"

Ami slowly turned to face her.

"You okay?"

"I…" Ami rubbed her eyes, exhaling tensely. "I'm sorry," she mumbled, turning away, her classmate following suit. "I should go home."

Makoto gaped at her back, eyes narrowed. She turned back to Usagi. "She let me win! Did she get caught too?"

Usagi shook her head; it only served to confuse the taller girl more.

"Usagi." Naru moved her arm to get her attention. "I have cram school today. I can still walk you home now, or…" She trailed off, glancing tersely at Makoto.

Usagi didn't feel like talking. She just wanted to go home, take as much warmth as she can from a human person while it lasted, and burrow under the covers of her bed for the rest of her life. But if she did that, her family would be worried; Luna would be worried and _she_ had no qualms entering her bedroom to press for answers. Besides, Makoto probably wanted to talk about her decision and it would be irresponsible of her, as the first Guardian to be awakened and keeper of Luna, to put it off.

She squeezed Naru's arm once, and let go; and it left her with a chill. Naru nodded, not meeting her eyes, walking ahead after she had brought out her own umbrella with a fake, cheery goodbye. She felt guilty; she could tell Naru was feeling left out. And she didn't know how to fix it.

"So…" Her voice cracked again, and she began clearing her throat, holding out her umbrella for Makoto to get under. "You made your decision."

"Uh-huh." Makoto's blank face did not reveal her choice. "Should we go somewhere less open? Or meet up with…the others?"

The 'others' technically consisted only of Ami and Luna. Ami was not available, and Luna was a cat who wandered often. That left Rei, whose frequent claims of not being involved was now very much in question.

Fortunately, someone else answered for her. Luna popped her head around the corner of the wall, and once she caught their attention, led them away. A moment later, when the stream of students leaving school had dispersed to only a few along their path, Luna jumped up into Usagi's arms, nuzzling once before speaking.

"Apparently the Game Center Crown has installed another new game," she said casually. "How about we waste away a few hours there?"

Usagi immediately placed her hand over Luna's forehead, though she had absolutely no idea what temperature was normal for an alien cat.

Luna smiled softly and shrugged off her hand. "I thought suggesting the library would be too much while we wait for Rei. She has club activities, doesn't she?"

She had to think about it. Rei had given them her schedules once, when she had complained that Rei was never home when she wanted to visit, but it should be of no surprise she couldn't remember.

"_Kyudo_ club, I believe," Luna offered.

_Sounds right._ She nodded.

"I say we give it two hours before we head over to her shrine," Luna continued. "There's something I want her to do for me."

Usagi gave it no more thought when they entered the arcade, no busier than a typical Monday after-school period. The arcade did indeed have a new machine set up, a racing simulator with fantastic graphics that had people lining up to take their turns. Makoto stayed back to watch for a while, before she disappeared with Luna, leaving Usagi to watch and cheer excitedly with the crowd as gorgeous-looking sport cars sped and crashed. When it was her turn, she had all but forgotten her earlier nightmare and darker thoughts; by the time she was done, and adrenaline coursed through her body from the realistic exhilaration of the race, her throat didn't feel as constricted anymore.

She looked around for Makoto, spotting her at the drinks counter with Motoki. Luna, on the other hand, was nowhere in sight. Makoto twirled lazily, from side to side, on her stool, flipping through a newspaper as she listened to Motoki grumble about his university assignments.

"Hey, Usagi," Motoki greeted when she came up to them, "how'd you like the new game?"

"It's really fun!" She happily took the half-empty milkshake that Makoto slid over to her. "It's so realistic too. It felt like I was driving a real car. Definitely need to find out how to work the gears to stop the seat from throwing me around so much."

"I can teach you later." He laughed. "But I'm glad you're enjoying it. The capital it took was cringe-worthy, but it's exclusive and we're expecting big revenue from it."

She grinned back. "You'll have my patronage until finals week."

"Make it to at least a week before your finals and I'm happy."

"Deal."

"God," Makoto grumped good-naturedly, "don't you guys have stuff other than exams and assignments to talk about?"

Usagi chuckled and leaned onto the counter. "All right then. Anything interesting?"

"This week's newspaper coupons suck."

_Supermarket coupons?_ She suddenly remembered that Makoto's familial situation seemed to be curiously missing. "Hey, Makoto," she began softly.

"Also, there's this." Makoto flipped to the front page, pointing at the headlines, seemingly oblivious to her tone of voice. "Monster attacks and authorities' acknowledgement of the existence of Sailor V and Sailor Moon." She shrugged. "Not much of a reveal, that last part. Well, not to us anyway, since I got that cop to spill more than he should. But the speculation about the monsters and Sailor Guardians are very amusing."

"Sailor Guardians?" Motoki frowned, turning his head to peer at the article. "Where did they say that?"

Usagi tipped her glass over, feigning shock as the drink soaked into the paper. Makoto jumped out of her seat, away from the brown liquid that began to drip over the side of the counter, and discreetly nodded her thanks for covering up her mistake. "Oh, shoot, I'm so sorry, Motoki-_oniisan_!" She scrunched up the wet paper carefully and dropped it into a nearby bin, careful not to drip over the floor.

"No worries, Usagi." He quickly grabbed a nearby rag and began wiping at the sticky spill. "I got it."

Something tickled her calf, and she looked down to see Luna gesturing that it was time to leave.

"I'm really sorry," she said again, aimed more at the fact that she had done it on purpose than the fact she had done it at all. It was just like her to be causing trouble to the people she knew.

He smiled reassuringly. "It's okay, Usagi. Really. Don't fret it."

"What's done is done," Makoto added. "Besides, we should get going."

Motoki nodded. "Makoto's right. Go on. I'll see you two another time. Have a good day."

As they left, the rain had stopped and Usagi could feel the dark thoughts returning. A foot separated her from Makoto as they walked side by side, waited for the bus. Conversation was scarce, and she squirmed uncomfortably in her seat on the bus, afraid to make contact with the other girl. The voice of the shadow was long gone, and she could barely recall the contents of her nightmare now, yet never had she been so fearful, so unsure. Her resolve was breaking as dark thoughts that deemed her unworthy began to overwhelm her again.

She hadn't realise her hands had been shaking until she felt a warm touch against them. She looked down at Makoto's hand that covered hers, griping tightly. Makoto spared a comforting smile at her, before removing her hand and returning her gaze to the passing trees; such sad, self-condemning gaze.

She wondered how bad Makoto's aftereffects were, debated if she should ask. Their stop came upon them before she had made her decision.

As they climbed up the steps to the shrine silently, two female students passed them on the way down, whispering conspiratorially to each other.

"Did you see her?"

"Yes! What a freak! What did you think she was doing?"

"No idea. I can't begin to imagine what goes on in that weird head of hers."

She wanted to yell at them, but was held back by Makoto's curious frown. "Who were they talking about?" Makoto asked.

"Rei," she grudgingly replied, still staring daggers down the other girls' backs.

At the top, she saw what had been the subject of those students' scathing remarks about Rei. As reluctant as she was to admit it, and even though she knew next to nothing about Shinto talismans, the number of wooden plaques that hung from the _torii_ and surrounding trees was quite possibly excessive. As they looked for Rei, they heard more whispers, both concerned and scornful, that littered the grounds among the visiting patrons.

They found Rei at one side of the shrine grounds, a standout among the others in her _miko_ attire, gazing at the _ofuda_ she had just hung on a tree.

"Rei," Usagi said cautiously. Makoto positioned herself next to her, blocking the views of the staring patrons.

Rei only spared them a glance, not responding.

"I'm no _miko_," Makoto drawled, "but don't you think you're overdoing it?"

"Absolutely," Rei replied curtly. She turned on her heel and headed toward the back.

Usagi struggled to catch up with Rei's longer strides. "Rei, is something wrong?" She pulled at her hand. "Rei, talk to us."

Rei whirled around at her touch, a small scowl on her face. Then her gaze lifted, lingering at the spot above their heads, and her scowl deepened. She reached up, waving her hand through the empty spaces tentatively. Someone snickered nearby and Makoto shot a glowering glare that brought hastily fading footsteps.

"I'm right, aren't I? Can you do something about it?" Luna spoke up, the only one to understand what she was doing.

"Like what?"

"We discussed it last night."

"If you're talking exorcism, then that's my grandfather's expertise. But there's nothing to exorcise."

Makoto snorted. "What?"

"The shadow," Luna said by way of a short explanation. "It's haunting you, isn't it?"

Usagi felt herself stiffen; she hadn't wanted Luna to find out. What if _she_ too deemed her unworthy to be a protector? Because she allowed the shadow to weaken her resolve?

"It's gone now," Makoto answered instead. Usagi couldn't help but feel envious at how strong she sounded.

"But there are lingering remnants."

"Yes, but—"

"But it is something for psychiatrists," Rei cut in, "not priests. Their heads are messed up, that's all."

"_You_ look like you need a shrink yourself," Makoto murmured.

"I'm fine," Rei snapped.

"Oh sure," Makoto said sardonically, "being bipolar is absolutely fine."

"I'm not bipolar!"

"Then why the hell are you so irritable all of a sudden?"

Rei looked like she was about to lash out, her jaw clenched and nostrils flaring. But then she closed her eyes, inhaling deeply, and shook her head. Her anger hadn't fully dissipated, but she seemed in better control. "I'm sorry," she said, her voice tensed, "my patience is appalling when I'm agitated."

Usagi tried to reassure her. "That's normal."

"But still not acceptable." She turned to Makoto. "I'm sorry, Makoto. I shouldn't have snapped at you. And I shouldn't have insulted both your mental conditions."

Makoto shrugged. "I'm sorry, too."

"Are you sure nothing can be done?" Luna asked after it seemed like the tension had settled down.

"It was possible if you had brought it to my attention before we left Makoto's place." Rei shook her head. "But it's gone now. There's nothing supernatural to fix."

"But—"

"It's okay, Luna." Usagi picked her up, hugging her tight. Luna's eyes widened in concern. "Rei's right. It's all in our heads now. We just have to learn to ignore it."

"Or fight it off," Rei added. "You can't ignore what you're feeling. You have to overcome it."

"Easy for you to say," Makoto said.

But Rei didn't respond to that, her eyes fixed to a spot over their shoulders, deep into the wooded area next to the shrine. A low growl escaped her throat.

Usagi turned around; she saw nothing out of the ordinary. "What's wrong?"

With an unintelligible mutter, Rei stalked off, returning soon after with two _ofuda_s in her hands, handing one each to Usagi and Makoto.

"Um..." Makoto held it gingerly. "Don't mean to be rude, Rei, but I'm not particularly religious."

"Please, just for my peace of mind." She sighed, rubbed her temples.

"Rei, what's wrong?" Usagi repeated, her concern escalating.

"Ghosts," she seethed, staring back at the empty spot in the woods. "I'm sorry, I can't spend time with you today. I've got work to do."

Usagi stared after her, clutching the _ofuda_ tightly. Why did Rei have to be so vague about her troubles? Did she not trust her? Was she so useless and undependable that Rei could not confide in her?

Makoto huffed. "Well, that was a waste of time." She turned. "See you later, Usagi."

Another one. Maybe the shadow was right, after all.

* * *

Usagi was laid down on the stone bench, her head resting on her arms as she gazed up at the cloudy, moonless sky. It was dark, the nearest park lamp only cast a dim glow in the surrounding area, but rather than be unnerved as she usually was, she was just tired. It had been a long day on Sunday, a longer one earlier today having to battle her darker thoughts, and now, at nearly one at night, she could barely keep awake. The only reason she wasn't begging to have the night off was because Makoto had told Luna at the arcade that she wanted to train with them, though she hadn't said anything about joining them.

A grunt to her right brought her back to wakefulness, followed by a string of profanities as a gloved hand reached for the lower bar of the guard rails that rounded the top of the hill. Makoto pulled herself up and rolled onto the grassy ground.

Luna padded over to her. "Why didn't you take the ramp up?"

Makoto grinned. "I wanted to test the limits of this Guardian thing."

As Usagi helped her up, she peered over the side. It was a twelve metre drop. "You got up here in one leap?"

"Almost." Makoto swayed on her feet. "As you probably heard, I had to scramble a tiny bit to reach the base." She held her hands apart to indicate the distance, before staggering away, squinting at her surroundings. "So this is your training grounds?"

"Yes," Usagi said slowly, frowning at how Makoto's words seemed to slur. "It's pretty isolated from civilisation, so there's less chance of someone coming across us."

"It's nice and naturely."

She was pretty sure that wasn't a word.

Makoto clapped her hands together. "So, when do we start?"

"Um, Mercury should be arriving soon."

"Mercury?"

"We don't use our real names until she's arrived and made sure we're not being watched."

"Gotcha, Sailor Moon." Makoto giggled.

"Are you all right?"

Makoto waved her off, looking away. "I'm fine. Fine, fine."

At exactly one o'clock, Ami appeared from the main path, removing her visor. "Good evening, Usagi, Kino-_san_, Luna."

"I thought we can't use our real names."

"That's just Ami's way of telling us we are clear," Luna explained.

"Well, why couldn't you just say so?" Makoto pressed, for some reason indignant.

"Inefficient use of time and words," Ami replied curtly. She then tilted her head curiously, before walking over and leaning in toward the taller girl. She pulled back, and there was a slight scowl on her otherwise impassive face. "You are drunk."

"And you have blue hair," Makoto retorted, grinning widely.

"Go home."

"Wait a minute, Ami," Usagi quickly said, stepping in between them, "you don't have to be so harsh. She probably has…a good reason." Even as she said it, the words rang futile in her ears.

"I can only think of one sufficiently acceptable reason, and if that is the case, she still has no right to be here."

"Perhaps we could delay the physical aspects of today's training and focus on examining Jupiter's prowess," Luna suggested, subtly appealing to Ami's tendency to collect data. Usagi silently sent her gratitude.

"Fine." Ami stepped back, producing her supercomputer. "Power up your attack."

Makoto frowned. "What?"

"You control lightning, don't you?"

She took a long time to consider it. "I think so."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean I think there's something else too, but I can't quite grasp it."

"Never mind that for now." Usagi heard Ami mutter something else deriding and shot her a warning look. Ami pursed her lips, obviously irate at Makoto's state. "Focus on your lightning powers. Call it into your hands. The objective is not to attack, but to control it. Understand?"

"No."

"Like this," Usagi quickly said before Ami could reply. She held her tiara out in her hands and whispered her attack phrase. The tiara glowed into a formless disc. "It's powered up and if you touch it, it'd hurt. But I'm not throwing it around like I would normally do if activating this attack."

"Don't touch it," Ami said exasperatedly, pushing away Makoto's hand that was beginning to reach for it.

Makoto grinned. "It's pretty." She began to bounce on the balls of her feet, shaking her arms as if preparing for a fight. Then she cupped her hands together, narrowing her eyes in concentration. Nothing happened for a few seconds, until the first white spark burst above her palms. Then more sparks, bursting into nothing as quickly as it appeared. Makoto shook her hands, slapped her cheeks, and tried again. This time, the sparks lasted longer; it was like she was controlling a small, cloudless, dry thunderstorm in her hands.

She grunted. "Why is it so difficult to get it any bigger than that?"

_Because you are drunk_, Usagi was sure Ami wanted to say. Fortunately, Ami bit back that retort, instead saying, "There is an attack phrase in your mind. It will help you focus your attacks."

Makoto furrowed her brows as she continued to increase the strength of her lightning powers.

"Don't—"

"Supreme Thunder."

There was a loud explosion and blinding light, searing her hands as Usagi brought them up to shield against the heat. Her feet left solid ground; she only had time to realise that she was flying backward before her shoulder scrapped against the rough ground, and suddenly, she was in the air again. She forced her eyes open, just in time to glance the metal bar that passed over her. Instinctively, she kicked her legs up, hooking her feet against the railing, a shot of panic hitting her as she fell backward.

She grimaced as her back hit the rock side, the jagged edge biting into her skin. Her hand whipped out when she caught sight of a black lump passing her down. Luna shivered in her arms, her fur standing on edge.

"Luna, you okay?"

Luna nodded shakily, and she held her upward toward her legs for Luna to climb up. Then, in a feat that would have proven her P.E teacher's frequent complaints about her wrong, she swung her upper body up, wincing when her still-bruised ribs complained, grabbing a protruding rock and using that to pull herself the rest of the way up. Luna bit on her skirt to help her climb up.

"Usagi," Luna called worriedly, nudging her lightly.

"I'm all right," she said, offering a small smile. As she stood, she shivered and slapped at the static that ran about her skin. Her hands stung, but fortunately, her gloves had taken most of the damage. "How are the others?"

Luna looked around. "There!"

She squinted into the dark, her eyesight nothing compared to that of a cat's. At the far end, she could just barely make out a figure sprawled on the ground. Then the figure jumped to her feet, pumping her fists in the air.

"Hell yeah! That was amazing!" Makoto came into the light, bending over the small crater her lightning had created. Dirt and grass streaked across her face and uniform, and there were tiny scorch marks on her gloves, but she paid them no mind as she patted the upturned soil, grinning excitedly.

Usagi couldn't help the disappointed frown that forced itself onto her features. Beside her, Luna angrily grumbled her disapproval.

"She's still learning," she said, a meek attempt at Makoto's defence. "She doesn't know how powerful those phrases are."

"Just because you survived a fall once doesn't mean you'll get out of the next one scot free," Luna growled. "That was too dangerous!"

She chased after Luna who was now running toward Makoto, her tail straight up in the air in a show of great fury. Somewhere to her left, a shrub rustled, and she remembered Ami. She scanned the dark woods but saw nothing out of the ordinary. More rustling, then a pair of legs shot up in the air and disappeared into the dark. A moment later, Ami stalked out from among the shrubs, looking worse than she probably was.

"You," she seethed, poking a burnt, bleeding finger into Makoto's chest, "what the hell were you thinking?"

Makoto narrowed her eyes, but instead of responding, she reached up and clumsily brushed the leaves from Ami's hair. Ami slapped her hands away, blotches of dark red becoming visible from under the burnt bandages on her left hand.

"Go home." Her eyes were glinting furiously, unsettling Usagi. She had never seen Ami so emotional before. "Now."

Makoto seemed to take more offense at that. "Who are you to decide that?"

"Ami's right," Luna said sternly, "you are in no state to be using your powers."

"And you're a cat. Why should I listen to _you_?"

"Makoto!" Usagi exclaimed, aghast.

"Are you even aware of what you have just done?" Ami asked, her voice low.

"I just called a fucking lightning out of nothing!" Makoto threw her hands up. "It was incredible! I don't know what you guys are fussing about."

Ami scowled, and shoved her hand into Makoto's face, a stream of water bursting out of her palm. It wasn't strong, nor did it look painful; in fact, it was probably as much force as throwing a glass of water into someone's face. Makoto tried to turn her head, but in her state, it was enough to unbalance her and cause her to topple over onto her backside.

"Ami!" Usagi grabbed her outreached hand, sparing only a moment to acknowledge it was the injured hand, and turned her around. "What the hell?"

"What?"

"We do _not_ use our powers on each other!" She could not help how angry she sounded, even though she knew she was lashing out at the wrong person. No, it wasn't exactly the wrong person, but the direction of her anger was skewed. She forced her voice to soften. "Not outside of training at least."

Ami looked incredulous.

"Do you hear me?"

She looked away, glaring at nothing as she thought. It was a long moment before she faced her again, the impassiveness returned to replace her initial anger.

"You are right, I am sorry, Usagi." She turned to offer her uninjured hand to Makoto, who was still sitting, looking stunned. "I apologise for dowsing you."

Makoto accepted the offer numbly, blinking rapidly. She rubbed her eyes, flinging water away as she swiped her hands down. "No," she finally said slowly, "you're right. I was being stupid."

Usagi didn't know what to do. It was true that Makoto had acted irresponsibly tonight, and she was still upset with her for that. Her image of the tall and strong girl had been shaken, and she didn't like it. But it was also true her image was just that…an image. She didn't know enough about Makoto to identify with her well; what she was already suspecting made her feel guilty for putting her on an unfair pedestal.

Next to her, she heard Ami exhale slowly, watching Makoto's retreating back. "I think we shall end this session now," she said to Usagi. "It is about to rain, anyway."

Unexpectedly, instead of heading her way home, Ami walked over to Makoto, supporting her as the taller girl struggled to walk in line. Usagi smiled, and quickly ran over to the two, taking the other arm.

They had just made it into Makoto's apartment when it began to rain. The first things Usagi noticed were the three empty beer cans on the coffee table, lined carefully next to a school textbook and pen. Ami's lips curled slightly in disgust as she crushed the cans and took them to a recycle bin, while Usagi gently laid a dazed Makoto upright onto the couch. Ami returned with a glass of water.

"Are you feeling better now?" Usagi asked after Makoto had gulped down half the water.

"Yeah," she muttered, looking embarrassed.

"I won't question your lifestyle choice," Luna began, her anger not quite dissipated, "but you should have known better."

"I know."

"Well, do you have an excuse?"

She flicked her gaze toward Luna, but quickly returned it to the uninteresting brim of her glass. She murmured inaudibly.

"What was that?"

Her grip tightened around the glass. "I was afraid to come."

Usagi blinked, confused. "Why?"

Makoto looked at her pointedly. "I was afraid that I might actually become a Guardian."

"I don't understand," she said, shaking her head. "Why did you tell Luna you wanted to join the training then?"

"I wanted to see if I could do it, because I wanted to do it. You know how awakening with this Guardian magic makes us feel complete; I wanted to keep that feeling forever," Makoto replied. "Then." She took another sip, her thumb sliding along the brim distractedly. "But when the time came close, I got scared. What if I screwed up? What if I couldn't protect everyone? What if I hurt my friends again?"

_Again?_

"I drink sometimes, when I get uncertain like that, to try to forget unfounded fears." She laughed derisively. "Turns out anyway I was right to be afraid."

"It's not all your fault," Usagi said softly. Luna gave her a look but didn't say anything. "We probably shouldn't have expected you to adapt to your powers as easily."

Luna unsubtly sighed her objections to that statement.

"If you knew my past, you wouldn't try to be this understanding," Makoto whispered, almost to herself. Usagi waited for her to elaborate; when she didn't, it was disheartening to finally admit that, try as she might, she wasn't as close to the others as she'd thought. Even Ami, who had been slowly been opening herself up, was distant again.

At the thought, her attention returned to Ami when Makoto didn't seem inclined to speak again. Ami had found the first aid kit and had been quietly cleaning her reopened wounds near the balcony. It was a strange sight, now, to see her staring out the window, trailing a finger down the glass, a strip of bandage hanging off her arm unfinished. It took a while for Usagi to realise that Ami was tracing the downward path of the rainwater.

_No_, she corrected, unsurprised, _predicting the path_. Her fingertip was minutely ahead of the droplet, sliding this way and that ahead of it; almost as if she were guiding the path of the water. And when she got it wrong, she started again, repeating the almost hypnotic action. Then she sighed, dropping her arm and wincing. Usagi hurried over to help finish bandaging her arm.

"Thank you," Ami said. "How are yours?"

She held up her hands. The skin of her forearms were red and a little raw, but otherwise undamaged. Ami nodded. "And Kino-_san_?"

Makoto started at the mention of her name. She glanced over, finished her water and placed the glass onto the table. She stood up slowly. "It's late," she mumbled. "We have school in a few hours."

They took the cue; Usagi not as obligingly as Ami and Luna. At the door, again, she hung back. Makoto rested her head on the doorframe, tried to smile reassuringly, failed.

"I'm sorry I hurt you," she said instead, her voice sounding choked.

And she closed the door, not waiting for Usagi to reply.

* * *

"How many now?"

Zoisite spared him a glance, but merely sighed in response, his arms crossed. Nephrite frowned, a little disturbed at the bloody sight before them. He flinched at a particularly devastating blow; could only find relief when the _Youma_ was finally allowed to die. He growled when the man stalked over to another nervous _Youma_ and began to beat on it mercilessly.

"We should do something," he said tensely.

"I tried," Zoisite said. "He just shrugs off my suggestions. Perhaps that's saying something about the consequences of coming back from the dead."

He took a step forward.

"Force will only aggravate the situation, Nephrite. Kunzite tried detaining him; he'd only escape a little later, more brutal."

"Maybe we should kill him," he suggested finally, growing angry at having to watch another _Youma_ fall for no reason. "We know now that death isn't permanent for him anyway."

Zoisite looked disgusted. "It's thoughts like that that make me question your integrity as _Shitennou_."

"Hey," he protested, turning on the younger general, "it's not my fault he came back…_wrong_." He gestured wildly to prove his point. "I'll only be doing him a favour to rid him of that monstrous side. You know that's not Jadeite."

Zoisite bristled, grumbling to himself. "It won't make a difference right now. Not with her like this."

He narrowed his eyes. "You know something."

"Oh, I know a lot of things," Zoisite said vaguely.

He was about to press further when Kunzite came up to them, surveying the scene with a furious curl of his lips. He opened his mouth, his voice booming regally across the wide area. "_Youma_! Jadeite is hereby relieved of his command over you, though you are still to consider him your superior. You are allowed to do whatever you can to flee his…provocations, but do not attempt to harm him while doing so."

Immediately, all _Youma_ within the vicinity took off.

Jadeite whirled upon them, a maniacal grin on his face. "Ruin my fun, why don't you?" He glanced at a non-existent watch on his wrist. "Oh well, it's time to visit my love again anyway."

"You are not going anywhere," Kunzite said commandingly. "Queen Beryl has demanded all of our presence."

In the throne room, Nephrite stood at the right edge of the line-up, furthest away from the being that was a just shadow of Jadeite, a strong general whom he used to consider his closest brother. It was sickening, what he was now. A mindless monster who beat up on _Youma_ for his own pleasure, yet was strangely adamant to keep the red Guardian's identity hidden from the rest of the _Shitennou_, his first victims being his own subordinates. _His love, he said_. Nephrite scoffed.

Queen Beryl stood next to her throne, a magnificent figure at her full height. She looked deep in her own thought, the staff in her hand swaying to an unheard rhythm. They waited patiently until she finally noticed them.

"Isn't it funny how I never thought much about the Sailor Guardians because of their association with Sailor Moon?" she asked them as she lazily twirled her staff. "Though the fact they have never announced their names aside from this Sailor Moon does add reason to this oversight."

"I don't understand, my queen," Kunzite spoke first.

She eyed him as if he were simply an annoying pest. "Of course you don't." She sat down. "Do you know who Sailor Moon is?"

Nephrite stepped forward, bowing. "I do, my queen."

"Oh?" She raised an eyebrow. "Do tell."

He took a deep breath. "She is a young Japanese girl new to her Guardian powers. I have read into her mind and am preparing a plan of action that will surely lead to her demise."

"I hope you realise you're not actually telling me anything new."

He flinched inwardly. "My queen, I _will_ bring you the head of Sailor Moon."

"I don't care about Sailor Moon. She is unknown to me." The screech as she dragged the base of her staff across the floor to in front of her sent shivers down his back. A slam of her staff and four images projected into the air in front of them, with respective identifications below. "The Sailor Guardians. I want them dead."

He was confused. None of the four images were Sailor Moon; three reminded him of older versions of the red, blue and green Guardians' glamour images, and there was one he had never even seen before. "My qu—"

"These four," she repeated, baring her teeth in disgust, "I want them dead."

"Y-yes, my queen!"

"Zoisite, you'll help too."

In the corner of his eye, he saw Zoisite stiffen, his sharp eyes, always a source of discomfort, darkening in unwillingness. But when he voiced his acquiescence, it was indifferent.

"Jadeite, my sweet boy." Her smile was almost fond.

"No."

Nephrite inhaled sharply. _What is he thinking?_

"What if I say you can have fun at it too?" she added, unperturbed.

Jadeite's grin was unsettling. "How so?"

"Forget cowardly plans and ambushes!" She rose to her feet, excited. "Go down to Earth and bring me chaos! Yes, the three of you, and as many _Youma_ as you desire. Destroy the hearts of those humans and draw out the Guardians. Give me a lovely massacre as you run them down."

It was not right. It was reckless and meaningless. Queen Beryl wasn't as impulsive as that. Kunzite opened his mouth to protest, but quickly thought the better of it. Nephrite turned to his brothers, but his expression of disbelief was shared only by Kunzite, of all people. He clenched his fist, unable to look as Queen Beryl gushed gleefully about dead Guardians.

* * *

_**A/N:**_ _Sorry, guys, I struggled with this chapter, like I feel some parts could probably be omitted (too long), or I'm not really portraying what I want portrayed. Would really appreciate your thoughts or suggestions to fix this. Again,sorry for the quality._

_While I'm here, thanks to my past reviewers, PrincessAnnastacia, LoveInTheBattleField and Kellybug, also James Birdsong whom I did not get to thank prior. And all who've read and followed. Hope you'll still be able to enjoy this one. Thanks!_


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